


The Silver Eyed Witch-Be Careful, Or She'll Take Your Soul

by Sh4d0wWrit3r



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-29
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-02-27 09:07:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 32,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2687132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sh4d0wWrit3r/pseuds/Sh4d0wWrit3r
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They managed to kill the Kishin, but they had also managed to lose Maka. Three years after the death of Asura, Soul still has no meister and is starting to lose hope. When a mysterious new student shows up the academy, she brings with her powerful abilities and powerful secrets. Can she and Soul work together to defeat this new threat, or will evil finally prevail over Death?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Silver Eyed Witch-Is She Real, Or Is She A Fantasy?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, this is my first published fic ever, so if there are some mistakes, please don't kill me! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There is an OC and Maka is dead, I know that will upset some people, but the way the fight was in the anime, there is no physical way she could have survived so, I went off from that. There are a couple chapters of a back story, so bear with me. Please review.

The villagers huddled together in a fearful mass. The men stood guard on the outside of the circle, protecting the weeping women with trembling limbs and stoic faces. She could smell the fear, the coppery tang filled her nose and she squirmed with excitement.

 

 

Her stomach suddenly roiled, was she or was she not supposed to like this? It felt like she was supposed to, but so wrong. Her mind fogged over and all thoughts faded away.

 

_**“Come.”** _

 

The soft command chased away the rest of her reason, and the mind of the beast took over. Serve and protect her master, that was her purpose, and she reveled in the prospect of completing her mission. The monster’s black pelt blended seamlessly with the dark, its eyes flashed ever so often in the underbrush. The men knew they were going to die that night. Some allowed tears to fall unbidden down their cheeks, sobbing like children, while others looked into the face of death and laughed.

 

But no one greeted death like an old friend that night.

 

A stick cracked like a shot in the darkness and a woman screamed. A blur of shadow leaped from the brush, soundlessly advancing towards the circle. The hunt was a song in her heart, driving her forward, her master's laugh the perfect accompaniment.

 

The souls glowed eerily in the night, pale blues and greens illuminating the ground they floated above. They drifted slowly around the figure trapped in the center of the carnage, broken bodies littered the ground, death rattles giving way to silence. Dripping blood was the only sound left. A woman and black floated over and placed a tattooed hand on the head of the figure,

 

_**“Well done my little silver eyed witch.”** _

 

Despite the praise, she was thrown back into the dungeon, the oppressive cold weighing her down, trapping her in the cell more effectively than any lock ever could.

 

_**“Oh stop your moping Thirteen, it is most unbecoming.”** _

 

The witch left, and her mind slowly became her own again. The fog cleared, and she was left with what she had done that night. Swallowing against the bile rising up in her throat, she tried to forget what had just occurred. The screams echoed in her ears, they would haunt her for many more nights to come.

There had been so much blood.

 

The high, keening voice of the other young one trapped here distracted her for a moment,

 

_**“Please, no, don’t put me back in there, Its dark, I don’t know how to deal with that! Ragnarok is being mean to me! Please make him stop! No. No! Its too dark!”** _

 

There was no reply, the sound of the crying only grew fainter and fainter as the door was shut on him. Unlike the other, she could never escape the darkness, so she had not need to be afraid of it. Another scene flashed across her mind, she burrowed deeper into the cold corner of her cell, desperate to escape the horrors locked in her memory.


	2. Medusa's Experiment-Is An Abomination By Any Other Name Still Just and Gruesome?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thirteen meets a mysterious duo that helps her escape from Medusa's clutches, but whether they are friends or enemies remains to be seen.

Her beaten body was thrown back into the cold cell, she knew better than to make a sound. Medusa was angry at her, angry at the rebellion she was unused to dealing with. Crona did what she wished, until recently so had Thirteen. But the familiar was tired of spilling innocent blood, the thought made her heart clench and her stomach revolt. She didn’t want to kill anymore. Her powers were growing, breaking free of the chains Medusa had placed on them. Every so often she could fight the witch’s will. Tonight had been her most successful attempt yet, she had saved a village from massacre. Knowing it didn't make up for all the others she had killed, yet it didn't damper her pride in this one success. Where there was one victory, there would be more. She was more than a killing machine, and refused to be used like one any longer. Thirteen was controlling the beast now, not Medusa, and the snake woman was furious about that. Another failed massacre tonight had earned her the worst beating to date. Everything hurt, breathing hurt, blinking hurt, even her hair hurt. Footsteps sounded outside the cell door.

 

_**“You can come out again when you decide to behave. Come along Crona.”** _

 

The demon sword knelt in front of her and whispered, _**“My blood is black you know.”**_ and turned to follow the witch singing softly under his breath.

Some time had passed before the prisoner heard footsteps approaching. Confusion and fear took hold, was it the witch, or wasn't it? Medusa wasn't the type to come back and ask for help, so who could it be? Or rather, what could it be?

As her ears adjusted, she realized it was not one, but two sets of footsteps coming towards her, echoing hollowly in the damp dungeon. The stopped in front of her cell, and two voices began to argue in furious whispers. Sparks of color flashed in front of her. Thirteen made a sound of surprise, it had been many years since she had last seen color, and she treasured those few memories she had. Her world was one of darkness, she was blind, yet another thing Medusa had taken from her. The sparks she saw were yellow and green, the colors of sunflowers and spring grass.

A low oath was muttered and a smack sounded. She focused onto what the pair were saying.

 ** _“Ow. What the hell was that for!?”_** came the furious whisper.

_**“I’m the only one allowed to curse right now kid, maybe we can negotiate later. But if I hear one more curse come out of your mouth, I swear, I will…”** _

Thirteen’s chains clattered together and the pair froze for a few seconds. Why had she moved then? When they were sure they were safe, they went back to whatever they were doing. It sounded like they were trying to pick the lock.

Why would they want to do that? Did they not realize what she was? A killing machine, a gruesome tale told around fires to scare children, a thing that instilled fear in the hearts of all and caused them to wake up screaming in the night.

The lock clattered to the ground, and the old iron door swung open. Two tall figures were illuminated in the half light. One moved toward her and grabbed her arm. Thirteen snarled and they both recoiled.

_**“OW! Motherfu…..she burned me.”** _

_**“Of course she did you idiot.”** _

_**“Who are you?”** _ her voice sounded low and raspy to her ears. The one who had grabbed her made a sound of surprise. _**“I didn't know it knew how to talk.”**_

_**”She’s a familiar, not an animal. God, do you never pay attention to me? We are here to help. Get up kid, We don’t have much time if you want to get out of here.”** _

Thirteen didn't move.

 _ **“Oh come on Kerry, lets get out of here. No silver eyed witch is worth getting killed over.”**   _the younger one pleaded in a caustic tone.

 _ **“Why should I trust you?”**_ Thirteen ventured, strangely unafraid of the pair. **  
**

 _ **“The enemy of my enemy is my friend that's why. Come on, get moving.”**_ was the clipped answer.

That was the best she was going to get and she knew it, so Thirteen allowed her to snap the chains holding her down and dragged her abused body to its feet, following the pair out of her cell.

She heard Kerry whisper to the girl, _**“Medusa is going to be so pissed when she finds out I have her druid.”**_

 


	3. A Witch and a Weapon and a Druid-How Thin Is The Line That Separates Love And Hate?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kerry helps Thirteen retrieve what Medusa stole from her, but at a price. How will the trio cope when one hates another?

After what felt like an eternity of struggling behind the pair, the trio came to a sudden stop. The slight warmth on her skin told it it was dawn, and in the half light, and odd group made their down the mountainside.

Thirteen stopped as she caught the scent of a nearby village, Kerry, and the girl, Ana, made worried noises.

_**“** **_There_ is no way they WON'T recognize her. For all we know this village was one that Medusa raided. I say we ditch silver eyes and get out of here.”** _

_**“I’ve come too far to give up now. Lucky for us, I packed some provisions.”** _

The green orb that was Kerry spun around quickly and came towards Thirteen, who snarled and backed away, ready to attack if need be. Kerry immediately slowed her movements, Ana muttered, “ _ **psycho dog.”**_

_**“Here, take these. The only way to get out from under her is go through this village.”** _

Thirteen bristled at the tone, as if she were speaking to a particularly stupid child.

She snarled _**“No. I think I’ve had enough help from you. I’ll go on way and you can go yours.”**_

_**“Hey, don't talk to her that way.”** _ Ana stepped in front of her and they stood nose to nose. _**“You’d better show a little more respect,”**_ she shoved her _**“especially after we..."**_

That was a big mistake, neither of them even saw her move, one moment she was standing in front of Ana, the next, both were on the ground, Thirteen with her fangs extended, inches from Ana’s neck.

_**“Now now,”**_ Kerry interrupted nervously, desperately trying to diffuse the situation. _**“There is no need for that. We just want to help you.”**_

_**“You maybe, this girl, no.”** _

_**“Well actually…**_ ”

_**“Shes got quite a mouth on her, I don't really like that, especially when it insults me. Maybe I'll just shut her up for good. I've always liked the quiet.”** _

Ana, for once in her life, kept her mouth shut. The scent of her fear both excited and sickened Thirteen, but she was hurt and tired, and was not in the state of mind to deal with a snarky teenager like Ana.

_**“Now everyone just calm down. Listen kid, if you want to get away from Medusa, you are going to have the trust me. Let me help you.”** _

Thirteen was still for a moment, and then leaned forward, pinching Ana;s windpipe between her canines before finally letting her up. Her aura glimmered a pale yellow. For the first time in her life, she was truly afraid. And it annoyed to her to no end that the source of that fear was this small girl in front of her. As Thirteen’s fangs retracted, she allowed Kerry to place the sunglasses over her eyes, obscuring those unnerving silver orbs from sight. Ana was glad, they were so creepy. All too soon, they were back home with that psycho in tow. And knowing Kerry, she would let her stay as long as she wanted.

 

Which was far too long for Ana’s taste.

 

_**“Come on, the sun's rising, we wait any longer and we’ll be seen by too many people.”** _ She set off at a brutal pace, practically running through the village, the only thing that kept Thirteen going was the need to get away from Medusa. She could almost taste her freedom. She didn't notice the dagger like looks Ana was stabbing her way, or the warning glances Kerry kept shooting at her.

 

They were halfway through the town when the first people began to mill about. The flashes of their various colored souls made Thirteen flinch every so often. Her anxiety level was rising, and Kerry knew that they didn't have much time to get out of the town. If she pushed her too hard too fast too soon, she would break her, and she shuddered to think of the consequences. Thankfully, the townspeople were too wrapped up in their own lives to pay much attention to them.

_**“Home sweet fucking home.”**_ Ana muttered, and shoved past the familiar. Kerry winced and braced for the worst, but the young girl just grunted in pain. That's when she noticed the blood covering her from head to toe. Her hair was matted, body far too thin, and a nasty bruise was forming on her cheek. Kerry glared at the girl she had raised from a child. When she had become such a brat, she couldn't tell you.

An idea was forming in the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside.

There were more pertinent matters to deal with.

 

The migraine that was beating her behind the eyes was merciless. She tried to soothe it, but the effort was made in vain. The pain continued to beat her down, so much so she didn't notice that Kerry was talking to her.

_**“...Ana is gone, we can have a conversation. Follow me kid.”** _

She stumbled behind her, and came a stop near a stream, the water bubbling happily behind her.

_**“Why are we here?”**_ she asked tiredly.

_**“There’s some stuff you have to know. And I’d rather not have Ana barging in.”** _

She didn't speak, only listened. Kerry cleared her throat, she was uncomfortable, Thirteen could smell it. Easy prey. She licked her lips involuntarily. The instinct to kill was still there, even if the drive wasn't.

_**“Do you know about Lord Death.”** _

She sent her a look, and Kerry laughed.

_**“Of course not. He is the grim reaper, he watches over all of the humans in the world. I work for him.”** _

_**“I see. So I owe my escape to this Lord Death.”** _

_**“No, you owe it to Ana and me. A Witch and a Weapon.”** _

Thirteen froze.

_**“You...you... you are a witch.”**_ she stuttered. 

_**“Yes. I am. But I am not like Medusa. My magic is known regenerative magic, Medusa’s is well, normal magic to put it simply. Most witch magic corrupts them, causing them to become evil, destructive beings. Regenerative magic is rare among witches, I only know of one other, and she is stationed at the Death Weapon Meister Academy's main branch in Death City. Regenerative magic returns things to their natural state, healing, fixing, origination, all that jazz. I’m not the bad one here kid.”** _ Thirteen took a few seconds to process this. Kerry had done nothing to harm her, in fact, she had only helped her. There was nothing bad emanating from her, not like Medusa, who was followed by snakes wherever she went. Deciding to stay she heard Kerry let out a sigh of relief.

_**“What am I?”**_ the words burst from her, the need to know overwhelming her. She was surprised by her outburst, unsure of what had prompted it.

Kerry sighed. “ _ **Kid. There are some people who feel that children should be kept innocent and in the dark about all of the bad things in the world. They feel like those scary stories we all hear should just stay stories."**_

Kerry moved closer until their noses were touching, _**“But when the darkness touches someone like it has touched you I feel obligated to answer every question they ask me. So you, kid, are a witch’s familiar, created to do whatever the witch asks of you, good or bad.”**_

_**“So I am a pet.”**_ came the defeated response.

_**“No, not quite. Yeah Medusa used you like a pet, but you are more than that. You were chosen for a reason. I know that you have discovered some abilities you didn't have before. Did you ever wonder why?"** _

Thirteen didn't respond, the wheels in her head turning rapidly trying to predict what Kerry would say. She braced herself for the worst, that she was one of them, a witch fated to be evil.

_**"You’re a druid kid”** _

What on earth was that? It didn't sound bad, but then again neither had familiar until Kerry had explained it to her. Druid sounded important and old, something not easily forgotten. 

_**“I would remember something like that, whatever it is”** _

_**“Not necessarily. It’s common for familiar’s to forget everything before they were changed, the process is... draining. But the fact of the matter is that it doesn't change who you are. You have magic kid. Powerful magic. And I can help you get all of it back.”** _

Thirteen tried to understand what was happening. She had magic? But magic was bad. It was evil, that is what Kerry just said. It created terrible things that could never be stopped. She was a witch under another name. The panic and the shame consumed her. She had escaped one hell to enter another.

_**“I don’t want magic.”**_ she muttered darkly.  _ **"I never wanted any of this..."**_

Kerry interrupted before Thirteen completely lost her head. _ **"Dru _id_ magic is not evil, its like regenerative magic, only better, more powerful. It’s a beautiful  awesome thing. It could help undo some of the bad Medusa has done.”**_

Kerry was laying it on a little thick, knew she was manipulating her, but she had to help this kid, it was the only way. Not only for her sake, but for the sake of the world. Something big was coming, she could feel it in her bones, and she knew that this girl was the key to something bigger.

_**“It’s not evil?”** _ the halting question snapped Kerry out of her revive.

_**“Nope. So. What’ll it be”? You want me to get back what you have lost?”** _

Thirteen nodded and Kerry grasped her cold hand and closed her eyes. There was a bright flash of green light. They were both floating in a dark place. All she could see was a bright green light with a small dark dot on its right hand side.

**_“Where are we?”_** her voice sounded odd to her, low and echoing.

_**“Its the place where you'll get back everything you lost.”**_ Kerry's voice responded before the green light moved closer to her. The black dot came towards her, the center of her forehead exploded in pain, and everything went dark.

 

Kerry watched the raven fly towards her and peck her forehead. She watched dispassionately as she fell to the ground. It was all a part of the process.

 

As the pain subsided, her world exploded into an flurry of colors. Blues, greens, yellows, reds, all pulsed in front of her, erratically and then smoothly blending in an array of colors.

_**“What is this?”**_ she whispered. Kerry’s laughter, bright and musical, drifted through her ears.

_**“This is your first lesson. A druid not only channels nature, she IS nature. Get used to this, because it only gets better.”** _

The starstruck look faded quickly from Thirteen’s face, replaced with one of pain and longing and anger. Eventually those emotions faded away and Kerry was left staring at a face of someone much older than her thirteen years.

_**“Are you coming kid?”** _

Thirteen said nothing as she followed her. 

 

Ana watched them from her hiding spot, hatred burning slowly in her stomach. She turned and raced ahead of them, knowing she had to get home before they did.

 

Thirteen followed Kerry out of the forest, caught up in a sea of her thoughts. She could feel the magic in her, it was a swirling ball of energy eager to be let out. She barely held onto it, she was so tired, her limbs were heavy, her entire body still hurt. Thirteen turned the new information she had over in her mind.

She remembered her mother, a sweet faced lady with warm brown eyes. She remembered her father, a tall man with rough hands and a booming laugh.

She remembered their cold bodies on the ground as Medusa led her out of her home hand clasped in hand. She remembered the ceremony that had stripped away all of her free will. And she remembered the last words her mother had said to her before Medusa had ripped out her heart.

_**“I love you Raevynn.”** _

 


	4. Death Weapon Meister Academy:Magic Division-Do The Beast And The Weapon Have What It Takes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thirteen is adjusting to normal life while Ana is growing more and more angry at her. With Medusa plotting, Ana fuming, and Kerry watching, the fate of the familiar hangs in the balance.

The days went by and Thirteen grew stronger. The bruises faded, the blood finally washed out of her hair, and she was able to eat actual food, a luxury she never knew she needed until now.

But a black cloud hovered over them all, and its name was Ana.

Thirteen’s self control was pushed to the limit several times a day, Ana enjoyed needling and tormenting her. Kerry was often forced to intervene, breaking up fights between the two that more often than not led to blood being spilled. Despite her attempts to figure out what was wrong with the demon scythe, Ana continued to instigate fights. After a week of particularly intense confrontations, Kerry sat them both down,

_**“Enough is enough! I’m tired of you two fighting, I'm not a ringmaster, so both of you need to get a grip. I've decided you two aren't allowed to leave this room until you come to a decision. Stay or leave. Either way, there will be some changes around here.”** _

The ultimatum was enough to make Ana seriously reconsider her stance on the familiar. She stared at the thing across from her, the abomination, the unnatural creation of a witch. She choose to ignore her own origin as a demon weapon and merely channeled all her hatred onto the small, frail thing in front of her. How the hell could this piece of shit be stronger than her? Thirteen wasn't so scary looking, except for those freako silver eyes she’d only kinda seen once. The mere sight of her there, sitting calmly, was enough to set her teeth on edge.

 _ **“If you want me to leave, just say so.”**_ the quiet, smoke voice jolted her out of her mental tirade. She scoffed and didn't answer. Kerry’d be pissed if this psycho left, and Ana didn't need her being pissed at her more so than she already was.

_**“No. Kerry wants you here. Though I can’t understand why the hell she would. I guess we can figure something out.”** _

Ana pushed the chair back, it’s legs scraping loudly against the floor. The stupid girl didn't even move as she stalked out of the room.

 _ **“We’re both staying,”** _ she shot over her shoulder before she slammed the door of her room shot. Thirteen exited more calmly and sat carefully across from Kerry, who was grinning from ear to ear. Ance Ana calmed down, she’d put her plan into action and watch the sparks fly. For all her faults, Ana would not break a promise, and this was payback for all of the stress she had put the witch through.

_**“Thirteen, how badly would you hate becoming a meister?”** _

Over the past few weeks, Thirteen had learned a lot about the outside world, namely that of Lord Death and his organization, the Death Weapon Meister Academy. Secretly, she’d been fascinated at the prospect of being able to wield a weapon and destroy some of the evil she herself had helped create, but she knew it was impossible. Her soul perception, the name Kerry had put her ability to see glowing orbs of color, was exceptionally strong.

But what weapon would want to work with a blind meister?

Thankfully, that secret was kept between herself and Kerry. Ana disliked her enough already, Thirteen doubted she would her blindness very wel.

If Kerry wanted her plan to work, it would have to stay that way.

 _ **“I guess I could put up with it for you Kerry.”**_ she grinned.

_**“Good. We start tomorrow.”** _

**↭↭↭↭**

 

Ana’s enraged shriek could be heard all the way to Death City. Her normally pale face was bright red in anger. She couldn't understand how Kerry could make her work with this, with this thing.

 _ **“You want to be a death scythe don’t you?”**_ Kerry asked her, wanting Ana to say the words. The demon scythe grumbled out a _**"yes"**_ and went to stand grudgingly beside Thirteen, who stood serenely in the sunlight.

_**“Alright, first things first. You are now a meister weapon pair now, which means your job, Ana, is to protect Thirteen at all costs. Thirteen’s job is to complete the mission no matter what. Understand.”** _

Ana stood motionless, trying very, very hard not to explode. This rage, this hate, was consuming her, and before she did something she would regret, she walked away.

Kerry let her go, it was going to be small steps with Ana. Getting her to wrap her head around the fact she was going to have to look out for someone other than herself was going to take a while.

 

What Kerry didn't know was that there was a snake in her garden, and it had just honed in on Ana,

Medusa laughed. Oh how sweet revenge was. Kerry had take her servant, now Medusa would take her daughter. Sending out her loyal serpent, she followed Ana through the forest, into the underbrush. She finally stopped beneath and old withered tree. Leaning against the trunk, she let out an angered sign. Medusa could taste it in the air. The thick body of the snake wound itself around the trunk of the tree, imprisoning the oblivious Ana. And when the girl tried to get away, Medusa sprang her trap.

_**“Why so gloomy young one? Seems to me one as beautiful as you should be happy, not moping alone in some dank forest.”** _

Ana preened at the praise, grateful for being the center of attention again.

 _ **“Tell me child, what has you worked up in such a twissssst.”**_ The snake woman hissed.

Ana gave the briefest pause of hesitation, unsure if this snake was one of Medusa’s minions. But the witch was no where to be seen, and the need to tell someone how she felt overpowered her common sense.

_**“That stupid thing that Kerry and I brought home from Medusa’s place. Its some, some thing! And now she made Kerry make us be partners. I can’t stand her. Shes not normal, not natural. And shes got magic! I’m a witch’s daughter and I don’t have magic. Thirteen doesn't deserve it."** _

_**“And you do.?”** _

_**“Yes, I do!. She so superior, sitting there, judging me.”** _

_**“She’s got no right to do that.”** _

_**“Exactly. That bitch just got here. What right does she have to look down on me?”** _

_**“No right at all.”** _

Ana was breathing hard, but the thorn in her heart burrowed deeper, taking root and sprouting. Medusa grinned, having Ana to do her bidding would be much more profitable than trying to get Thirteen back.

And in the process she may be able to kill Kerry, oh how fun would that be.

The snake unwound itself, confident that Ana would stay on her own accord. It slithered through her legs and came to a rest on her shoulder.

_**“And to think it was your mother that brought her here. Brought her to replace you.”** _

A look of hurt and shock crossed her face, replaced by cold anger.

_**“Not surprising. One daughter didn't have magic, might as well go get another.”** _

_**“And after everything you've done for her. How dare she.”** _

Ana began to pace furiously, her mind spinning like a top, trying to figure out a way to make Kerry and Thirteen pay for humiliating her.

_**“What if I told you I could help you get rid of that thing forever? What if I told you I could help you crush her so finely that she would never rise again. What if I told you I could give you more power than you ever dreamed of having. More power than your mother and Thirteen combined.”** _

Holding out her hand, the snake slithered into it, and Ana brought it to eye level.

_**“I would say how do we begin.”** _

**↭↭↭↭**

 

Ana returned later that day, seemingly turned around. She was sweet, sickeningly so, to Thirteen. The familiar, not knowing any better, accepted her change of attitude without so much as a question. Ana was odd to her as she was to Ana, the mood swings made her head spin, she didn't have to time nor the inclination to figure her out. The day she came back, Thirteen noticed something odd about her soul. Something was encircling it that was not there before. But as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, and she put it out of her mind. Kerry seemed to be happy, and in order to please the woman who saved her, Thirteen was willing to put the past behind her. Her days were filled with masses of information, given to her by Kerry. Everyday began with _**“Now listen kid, I don’t know much about druids,”** _ and then launched into a ridiculously detailed explanation on druid theory and how magic worked and so many other things that she felt she could never possibly remember. She learned that her soul perception was her way of seeing, it was her sight and she vowed to never lose it again. Everyday it grew stronger.. She was able to distinguish emotions and the movements of people based on the way their soul contorted and the colors it gave off. Kerry told her that her abilities would only grow stronger, especially with the help of a weapon partner. Thirteen’s relationship with Ana was still strained, but on a different level. Whereas before Ana was openly aggressive towards her, now she was nice, doing things to help her, especially when Kerry was around. She became a bit of a mother hen, smothering her, which caused Thirteen to escape into the woods every chance she got.  

 

At night, she could Ana talking to someone, but, respecting her privacy, left her alone, and laid low when she had a pinched smile on her face. Ana’s aura was a bright, sickly yellow, it made Thirteen nervous to be around. But soon after her change of heart, their basic training began and Thirteen didn't have the energy to worry about this oddball.

Kerry was a merciless teacher. Often times, she and Ana ended up in a pile on the ground, bruised, hot, and tired, with Kerry laughing over them. They did, however, eventually manage to hold onto several basic scythe meister maneuvers.

_**“Alright kids. I've got a meeting today. I’ll be back later. Try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”** _

Thirteen lounged out in the sunlight, and Ana steered clear of her. The younger girl couldn't say she was particularly disappointed. A few hours later, Kerry was home, her aura dark green and erratic.

Someone was angry.

The front door slammed shut, confirming her suspicions. The meeting had not gone as planned. She entered the kitchen as Kerry was in mid-tirade, Ana listening patiently from the door frame.

_**“Damn witches. I hate them all. Idiots, the lot of ‘em. Why if I could i would fee them all to death scythes. Why I oughta’”** _

_**“Oh what now. Are they torturing innocent animals again?”**_ Ana mocked sending a look at Thirteen, swaggering over and putting her feet up on the table. Kerry shoved them off and sent her a dangerous glare.

_**“No. The witches had denied you entry to the academy's magic division.”** _

_**“What? Why?”** _ Thirteen stayed a ways away from the volatile pair.

_**“They feel that you aren't stable enough to be a meister. And that your weapon partner would be adversely affected by your past.”** _

_**“MY past?”** _

_**“Yes, as a familiar.”** _

The thread of control that Ana had been holding onto snapped, Thirteen saw it. It writhed around her soul, desperately trying to gain purchase on the smooth surface.

 

Several miles away, Medusa was trying to regain control of her lost minion. She had underestimated how much getting into that stupid academy meant to this pustule. She was losing her hold on her, and quickly. If she couldn't regain it quickly, all of her hard work would be lost. Her snake's whispers couldn't penetrate the sheer wall of rage that this girl was producing, and Medusa was grudgingly impressed. If her could harness that power, who knows what she could do.

 

Kerry was thrown off to the side as Ana advanced on Thirteen. The smaller girl dodged the punch she aimed at her and ran across the room. Ana, however, was merciless in her onslaught. All the while spewing venomous comments.

_**“You stupid bitch! This is all your fault!”** _

Thirteen wove in and out of Ana’s vicious punches, but was hit hard in the side by a well aimed kick. Picking her up, the weapon threw its meister across the room. _**“Abomination. Unnatural! I hate you!”**_ The force of the throw broke the front door and she ended up in the mud. Thirteen scrambled up and retreated into the shade. A fission on anger shot through her, but she quelled it, Now was not the time for her to loose the control she had worked so hard to have.

 _ **“Ana please. Can we talk about this?”**_  the meister asked calmly, trying to appeal to Ana’s rational side.

There was, however, no rational side left to appeal to. And where was Kerry? Thirteen saw the witch woman following Ana calmly out of the home. Her soul was a bright, inquisitive green She wanted to see how it would play out, and if Thirteen could handle herself. Steeling herself, Thirteen turned to face Ana, the wind sending tendrils of hair floating across her face.

_**“No more talking. I’m tired of talking. I’m tired of you.”** _

Remembering the words Kerry had told her, a druid do not control nature, a druid was nature. She felt the sun on her skin, and heard the bubbling of a nearby brook. She could feel its energy, flowing quickly and freely.

 _ **“I think its time for you to go.”** _  Ana was right in front of her, and aimed a punch at her face. Thirteen ducked again  and grabbed her wrist, using Ana’s momentum to throw her off balance. She summoned water from the brook nearby and drenched the other girl in it, eliciting yet another enraged shriek. Clenching her hand into a fist, she froze the water, effectively trapping her in place. Ana’s enraged shrieks eventually faded away into silence, that is when Thirteen approached her and got down face to face with her.

 

Medusa heaved a sigh of relief as her snakes managed to recapture Ana’s mind. She tightened her hold, no longer willing to give Ana any free will. Hopefully she would be able to undo the damage this idiot had done. By the looks of it she would, but only if she played her cards right. Medusa sat back and watched, eager to see how this mistake could be turned to her advantage.

 

 _ **“If I let you go, now, will you promise not to attack me?”** _  Thirteen took her silence as a negative, so she stood.

 _ **“Fine. I didn't want to trap you but you gave me no choice. I’m sorry about the denial to the academy. Had I know I never would have agreed to be your meister.”**_ She crouched again in a blur of motion. She was nose to nose with Ana, and the witch had the unnerving feeling that she was staring straight at her.

 _ **“But I am your meister. And I made a promise to fulfill my missions, no matter what the cost. So my mission is to make you into a death scythe, and I WILL complete that mission, no matter what the cost.”**_ She paused. _**“So what do you say?”**_  she whispered as she unfroze the water and helped Ana to her feet.

_**“I’ll hold you to that.”** _

_**“And wait a damn minute here. Who the hell is supposed to train this dynamic duo?”**_ Kerry finally intervened. She was not keen on taking on this particular pair as her own personal apprentices. She moonlighted as a teacher at the academy, but this was a whole new level of responsibility she didn't really want. 

 _ **”You of course.”**_ Ana delivered the phrase so confidently that Kerry paused, and then all four of them began to laugh.

 

Medusa cackled in her lair. She could taste her victory. As long as she could keep Ana under her thumb, all would be well.

_**“Come along Crona, we have work to be done.”** _

 

 


	5. The Scythemeister's Struggle-Can They Beat An Army Of Spiders?

In the three years before the uprising of the Kishin Thirteen and Ana became one of the most notorious weapon meister pairs in the world. Master of hand to hand combat, expert scythe meister, and her ability to channel the elements made Thirteen one of the most feared and respected meisters, and Ana, her weapon partner, known for her vicious wind attacks, was coveted by meisters everywhere. The tension between the two never fully dissipated however, which made it impossible for them to completely soul resonate. No matter how hard Thirteen tried, there was a note in Ana’s soul wavelength she could not match. And every so often, Thirteen swore she saw a snake wrapped around her weapon partner’s soul. One hot night, Thirteen shot bolt upright in her bed. Frazzled, she ran to find Kerry, who was outside, staring off into the distance.

_**“Kerry. What is it?”** _

_**“It’s a madness wavelength kid.”** _

_**“So does that mean…”** _

_**“Yeah, Asura’s awake again. Medusa won, dammit.”** _

Kerry cocked her head to one side, as if listening to a whispers command. She cursed under her breath and let out a whooshing sigh.

_**“Alright, alright fine. I hear you. I’ll let them go.”**_ the sentence was whispered, Thirteen wasn't sure of she was supposed to hear that or not, but she stayed, knowing that Kerry had something else to say to her.

_**“You’d best get Ana up. you have a special mission from Lord Death.”** _

_**“What’s the mission Kerry?”** _

_**“You two have got to get to Death City, and eliminate any Arachnophobia members you meet along the way.”** _

_**“You aren't coming with us?”**  _ an uncomfortable pause.

_**“No kid, I've got to stay here. You two’ll be fine.”** _

 

**↭↭↭↭**

 

The shrieks of the dead and dying filled her ears as she raced through the forest, her scythe clutched tightly in her hand.

_**“You alright?”**_ she asked.

_**“Yeah, just fine”** _  the weapon replied shortly. Ana had never been the kindest to her, but there was a second undercurrent here, different that the one that usually ran between them. This one was malicious, evil.

They were almost there, almost to Death City, just a little farther and she could complete the first leg of her mission, she would be able to help.

And then yet another Arachnophobia battalion attacked them. It had been non-stop battles for the past few months, and the victories they had ended in had come at a great cost. Thirteen was tired, her body aching and oozing blood from several injuries that had not had the proper time to heal. Her healing abilities only functioned when her soul energy was high, and it was definitely low right now. The battalion surrounded them was the meister and weapon stood motionless in the center. The forest was quiet except for the sound of Thirteen’s breathing and the panicked whispers from the men.

_**“Is that who I think it is?”** _

_**“Look at those glasses, it has to be her.”** _

_**“We should all run now while we still have the chance.”** _

_**“We’re all dead, all so dead. I wonder if it hurts as bad as they say it does.”** _

Tones of young and old mixed together, creating a symphony of fear and uncertainty. Thirteen felt sick, she knew her reputation was important to keep up, intimidation usually dissuaded many from choosing the wrong path. But even after all the good she had done, she was still considered a monster. Steeling herself from the madness wavelength that was growing ever stronger, she pushed those thoughts and feelings aside. Right now, it was the mission, the mission was all that mattered.

 

Medusa laughed, if this girl actually believed she could defeat her, she was greatly mistaken. There was something new about the girl now. But in the end it didn't really matter, they were all going to die anyway.

 

_**"Let us pass and no one will get hurt."**_ Thirteen pleaded quietly. She did not take joy in killing the innocent, just the evil, and these men, they were most definitely not evil.

_**“N-n-no!”** _  came the choked reply. Surprised noise filled the air, the rustling of clothes against skin told her that the battalion was turning to try to see who had uttered the words.

_**“That's right.”**_  a second voice cut off the sound. Smooth, cool, confident, most likely the commander. _**“We have direct orders to make sure that you never make it to Death City.”** _ she felt her weapon shake angrily in her hands. Something was rilling Ana up, but what it was Thirteen couldn’t tell you.

 

Medusa barely managed to dodge that last attack from the little girl and Crona. Her own child had turned against her. So much for loyalty. Stein and that bitch were still off in the corner, the weapon trying desperately to bring Stein back from the edge of madness, Medusa laughed, confident that too much damage had already been done.

 

_**“C'mon silver eyes. Just end them so we can get going.”**_ Thirteen winced at the nickname, only Ana ever called her that, and she did it because she knew it caused her pain.

“ _ **You know we can’t do that, these are innocents.”**_

_**“Oh who cares, these are just humans. Besides, I’m getting hungry and they look good.”** _ Thirteen stared in shock at her weapon, that wasn't a good thing to say. Weapons were only supposed to eat the souls of corrupted humans and monster. Thirteen was getting worried, how far gone was Ana in order for her to voice that desire? Although she didn't want to admit it, so was afraid of what Ana was becoming. Maybe the madness wavelength had taken hold of her, she hoped she could on to her weapon's sanity long enough for them to reach Death City, before Ana could do any real damage.

_**“Turn back now or face the consequences.”** _ the polite voice ordered them yet again, command edged in steel. Thirteen shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet and prepared for yet another battle.

_**“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I have direct orders to get to Death City.”** _

The voice hardened. _**“Well then, I guess it's time for you to die.”**_

The silence of the forest was ripped apart by a revving engine. The force created blew them backwards, dirt, leaves, and other debris flinging towards them.

_**“Is that all you've got? What a boring way for you to die.”** _

_**“Alright Ana, let's go soul resonance!”**_   But like all of the times before, they could not soul resonate fully. That one distorted note in Ana's soul was stronger than ever. It was almost impossible for Thirteen to match, but she managed to get some resonance.  

_**“Ana. What the hell is wrong?”** _

_**“Shut up! Nothing, I’m fine, lets just get rid of these assholes.”**_ She struck the scythe against the ground, shooting out her soul wavelength. The waves traveled up through the bodies of the men, giving Thirteen a vague outline of their bodies. It was a fairly new ability she had only recently gained. A person’s soul was not located in the center of the body, rather it had tendrils in all of a person's limbs. A soul was merely strongest in the center of the body because that is where everything came together. It was useful in creating a picture of the fighting area.

She was severely outnumbered. Every member of the battalion was armed, and they were being lead by a demon weapon that looked like it had chainsaws attached to its legs. Her normal tai-chi and chi-blocking fighting style wouldn't be effective in this fight. She would have to pull out some of the eight-limbed styles if she hoped to survive. He attacked quickly, followed by a flurry of bullets from the rest of the battalion. Twirling Ana, she blocked the bullets and barely managed to sidestep the chainsaw's first attack. Thirteen sent out a blast of wind, the easiest element to channel through her weapon, towards the men, knocking many off their feet and managing to distract the other weapon. She felt a pang of anger rip through their connection, but she didn't have the time to appease Ana. She fended off attacks for what seemed to be hours, she was trying not the kill the humans fighting on the wrong side. The haft heated in her hand, and Ana appeared in front of her, human form,

_**“WILL YOU JUST KILL THEM ALREADY!”** _ she screamed as she ripped on mans throat out and ate his soul. Thirteen raced at her,

_**“You idiot! Are you insane? Get back in weapon form before…”** _

Ana's yellow soul disappeared.

Fire ripped across her back and everything went black.

 

She waited anxiously in the in between, desperate for a way out. This could not be the end, it would not be the end of her. She saw a familiar yellow light and grinned. She had known that girl would come in handy. Slithering over, she went to work on her final manipulation of the demon scythe, Ana. It would be nice to have a normal sized body again.

 

He dragged himself over to her prone form, blood staining the ground. They were still resonating, but only barely. The pale orange light of her soul was flickering away. Her forest green eyes were almost shut, but they fluttered open again when she saw him. Pieces if the Kishin were falling down around them. She was barely breathing.

“Maka…” his voice was barely above a whisper. He reached out his hand and clasped her cold one in his. She smiled weakly at him and opened her mouth to say something, but her breath caught, and she just smiled at him as her eyes closed. Her soul slipped out of his grasp and she was gone.

 

**↭↭↭↭**

 

Thirteen woke up in one of the countless infirmaries set up around the battlefield. The souls of the injured, dying, and ill echoed in her mind. Her gripped her head, fingers digging painfully into her scalp. The migraine was terrible.

_**“Ana. Where the hell are you? What the hell was that you did?”**_ she muttered angrily, not able to get her voice up any louder. Despite its quietness, the entire room ground to a halt.

But there was no answer, no snarky comment, no insult from her weapon.

That's when she noticed Ana’s soul was no where to be found. Panic set in. Where was she? She had been right next to her. Maybe she was in another part of the room, too far for her to sense. Yes, that had to be it.

_**“ANA!”**_ she called out, louder this time. Her voiced echoed hollowly in the room. Distantly she heard someone say _**“I’m sorry”**_ before her world dissolved into darkness.


	6. The Journey To Death City-Can They Survive It?

_**“You've got to eat sometime.”**_  a chiding voice snapped at her, jolting her out of her stupor. With shaking fingers she adjusted the glasses on her face. They had been sliding down more often now, she wondered why. Kerry sighed, unwilling to try and break down the wall’s she had erected around herself. The witch had told her ever since Ana had died that she did not blame her, but Thirteen hadn't wanted to hear any of it. No matter their differences, or how many brawls Kerry had to break up, Thirteen had considered Ana a close friend. If Ana felt the same was about Thirteen Kerry couldn't tell you, but the meister missed her weapon terribly.

She had failed her mission, the most important one she’d ever undertaken. It had been her first mission, and she had failed. She hadn't been able to make Ana a death scythe, and the guilt ate away at her until she felt as though she could no longer stand. She missed Ana, her snark and her insults. There had been times where Thirteen had felt a real connection with her, when they were almost friends. After the Kishin had been defeated, she had wanted to try to explore those moments further.

Now she would never have the chance. She hadn't been strong enough to protect Ana or to carry out her missions. Her whole world had come crashing down around her in a manner of seconds.. The sound of Kerry’s chair scraping the floor snapped her out of her depression.

 _ **“Did you even hear a word I said?”**_ Thirteen didn't respond, just continued to stare blankly at the wall _ **. “Dammit Thirteen, I didn't want to do this, But you’re not giving me a choice. I refuse to lose you too."**_  Kerry seized her hand and dragged her outside. The sounds of the forest made her heart hurt with shame and longing. She hadn't been out since the funeral. _**“Kerry, there is no point to this. I can't see. I haven’t been able to see since she died. I’m worthless. I’m worse than worthless, I’m useless.”** _ The witch pretended not to hear her, but her blindness was worrisome. If her soul perception hadn't come back, would it ever? Was she doing the right thing right now? She shook her head, clearing away the doubts. This had to be done, Lord Death had been nagging her for months.

They were back in the first clearing Kerry had ever taken her too. How she knew, she couldn't tell you, but she knew. They knelt, facing one another, so reminiscent of that first day. Kerry grasped Thirteen’s chin in a pale palm.

_**“Just breathe kid, it’ll all be over soon.”** _

And then she was alone.

_**“Kerry? Kerry! Kerry?! Where are you?!”** _

Silence.

_**“P-please don't leave me alone!”** _

She was answered by birdsong.

 _ **“Please Kerry, its dark.”**_ she whispered. When there was still no response. Thirteen knew she was on her own. She couldn’t make herself feel anger, how could she blame Kerry? Who wants to have a blind meister hanging around? No one. Eventually, the forest began to quiet down, and the temperature dropped. The cold had begun to numb her fingers when Thirteen felt this sudden urge to move. She had to walk, she had to get somewhere, where that place was, she didn’t know. Staggering to her feet, she followed that feeling deep into the forest.

 

Kerry watched her go silently, sick with worry and sadness. What an experience it was to see such a strong person reduced to a stumbling invalid. Chest burning, it had taken everything she had to stay silent as Thirteen called out to her, but this was for the best. Lord Death needed her at the academy, and Thirteen needed to get of here, out of this place that was filled with so many memories of the three of them together. Kerry turned as the sounds of Thirteen walking away disappeared and made her way back to her home, silent and empty in the dark.

 

It had taken months of travelling, but she was finally here. Thinner, and more frayed around the edges, but finally here. Who would have thought Thirteen would complete her mission to Death City after all. Heartache still gnawed at her, but she learned to deal with it, it no longer ran her life. Kerry had sent her here, implanted the direction within her that day in the clearing. Thirteen didn't know why she was here now, she had nothing to offer the academy any more, but she trudged up the road to the entrance anyway. She gripped the staff that had become her travelling companion over these last few months. It pulsed with energy, it was more alive than she felt. Her staff sunk farther into the sand with every step, and in the distance, she heard an explosion. Must be normal academy things, she mused. After a few seconds of trying to step through what felt like honey, she arrived in Death City.

 

**↭↭↭↭**

 

 _ **“NO! MAKA, DON'T GO!”**_ Soul shot up in his bed, sweat pouring off his body, the sensation of his meister dying fresh in his soul. Breathing hard, he struggled to free himself from the tangle of his sheets, and began to pace around his room. He had to get out of here, out of the apartment they had shared, even just for a little while. As his heartbeat slowed, she checked the time.

6:00. The sun was still up, and Black Star had invited him out to a party. Needing a distraction, he locked himself in the bathroom and began to get ready.

 

He leaned against the wall, effectively trapping her with his body on one side and his arm on the other. His teeth gleamed in the half light, and her breath caught. Was it fear or excitement? Her exhale was an excited shudder, it was most definitely excitement. He smiled wider, crimson eyes obscured by a shock of white hair, voice muted. Her nervous laughter was filled with desire.

He had her.

He leaned back slightly as he noticed her eyes were green. He swore he saw reprimand in them, but it must have been his imagination as she grabbed his collar and brought him in for a kiss. Squashing that guilty feeling and kept on with his flirtations. The feel of his body against hers chased away the nightmare from earlier in the day, all that mattered was now, and the promise of what would come later. Black Star gave him a thumbs up with the arm that wasn't around Tsubaki and and grinned. Soul grinned back as the girl practically dragged him out of the club.

 

Sunlight blazed through the window, casting a golden glow over the bandages encircling his chest. He hadn't slept, he almost never did nowadays. Midday naps kept him going, and most of those ended in a nightmare. He was usually able to sleep after an eventful night like the one he’d just had, but not last night. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, she was pretty, he’d give her that, and adventurous.

He didn't even know her name.

She edged closer and he edged away, finally deciding to just get up. Standing and disentangling the blankets from his hips, he dressed and walked out without a backward glance. He’d slept with a lot of girls over the last few years. At first it helped numb the pain, the guilt, but the effect was wearing off, and he had no back up plan.

Maka’s green eyes flashed in his brain and his ears burned in shame. He could only imagine what she thought of him, sleeping around like her father did. At least he wasn't married. He grimaced in disgust, that didn't make what he was doing any better. He understood girls, knew what made them tick, if he moved a certain way, he could predict what they would do. At first it had been fun, a great distraction. It had been the only predictable thing in his life.

But none of it made up for the fact that he couldn't save her. Nothing made up for the fact that he had lost her. The more and more he thought about it, the angrier and more miserable he became. And when Black Star showed up to bug him, he exploded.

 

Black Star dug himself out of the rubble of the collapsed wall and stared at his friend’s retreating back. His temper was shorter than ever. The old Soul could take a joke, this one was such a bore. Black Star’s soul perception, bad as it was, could sense a change in his friends soul. It was darker, more dangerous, more frightening. They were all different, they had all lost Maka, but for Soul, for a weapon to lose it’s meister, the assassin couldn't begin to fathom the pain. It was almost always the other way around.

 _ **“Hey Tsubaki. You think Soul will ever come back to us?”**_ her gentle eyes met his. _ **“I don’t know”**_ she told him in a soft voice.

 

His chest burned, tendrils of pain shooting out from his wound. Soul had taken to training with Mifune as a way to disperse his anger. Sometimes it helped. Other times it didn't. In reality, it made him all the more dangerous when he did explode, as showcased by the fight he’d just had. Despite being a master of ninjutsu, Black Star had trouble holding his own during one of Soul’s muay tai onslaughts.

But not matter what he did, he could feel the remnants of the madness still inside him, struggling to take hold. It was getting harder and harder to fight it. Marie had told him after the battle that no madness could survive her healing wavelength, but Soul wasn't so sure. He gnashed his teeth together. His feet began to drag him to the memorial, dying in the autumnal change. Soul felt the burning in his chest building, but he refused to give into the onslaught of emotions. He hadn't cried, refused to cry. Maka wouldn't have wanted that. Hands shaking, he turned and walked away, not ready to face what was right in front of him. He was so angry, and so miserable. This madness he had may not have been the Kishin’s madness, but it was madness all the same.

  
Soul walked into the apartment they had shared, everything almost unchanged since the day they had left to fight Asura. Maka’s door was firmly shut as he leaned his head against it. He could still smell her, old paper and vanilla. His cheeks flexed. They had made it through the fight, but her injuries had been too much, and he couldn't hold onto her. She’d slipped away from him. The sound of his fist smashing against the wall brought him back to reality, and he winched as he felt the skin on his knuckles split. Life was moving forward, but Soul couldn't pull himself together. He didn't know if he even wanted to. Tomorrow was weapon reassignment day and he was dreading it. Walking around with a name tag on even though everyone knew his name. Another year of not have a partner. He was seriously considering leaving the academy. There was nothing left for him here. Not anymore.


	7. The First Day Of School-Can They Make It Through?

It was early in the morning by the time she made it the academy’s front gates. She’d gotten pretty proficient at walking around with her staff. She almost never bumped into anything. As she righted herself going up the steps for a fifth time, she reconsidered her earlier assertion. Tripping over things was another matter entirely. Thirteen flexed her cold fingers. Hopefully someone was awake at this time of the morning.

 _ **“Who is it?”**_  a gruff voice asked as she approached the doors of the school. She winced, unsure of what to say. _**“Um. Kerry sent me here. Thirteen?”** _  Nothing happened for a few seconds, and she shifted from foot to foot nervously. The doors of the DWMA opened. _**“We've been expecting you.”**_ Thirteen took that as an invitation to enter, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold, the doors closed. _ **“This way dear.”**_  the voice was quiet and kind. She was lead into a room and told to sit. Something was placed on her chest and she was led into what she assumed was another room. The sound of voices assaulted her ears and she began to panic. What the hell was happening? Where was she? Several people came up to her, asked her where she was from and how long she’d been at the academy. She stuttered out a few answers before someone grabbed her arm. She reacted, turning and twisting the arm up and over. _**“Ah! Ah! Stop! I've come to take you to see Lord Death. There was a mix up!”**  _Thirteen immediately let him go and followed him to wherever Lord Death was. She didn't notice the eyes boring into her back as she left.

 

Soul hadn't even stayed ten minutes before the high pitched voices of the one star meisters drove him to a near frenzy. He was so not used to dealing with fourteen and fifteen year old's anymore. Despite being only eighteen, he felt a lot older. He walked away before he did something he would regret. The sun was beating down on him, it was unusually warm. And the longer he sat there and the longer he thought about it, the more certain he was that he had to leave. His time here was over, where he would go, he didn't know. But he did know that he had to go. He stood and made his way to Lord Death’s quarters. The doors were closed, and Nygus was standing outside. _**“He’s with someone. Maybe you should come back later.”**_ Shocked, Soul just turned and left not knowing how to react. Lord Death never had meetings. What was going on? Groaning, Soul realized that he had to go back to that soiree, hopefully some of the gang was there now, take some of the edge off.

 

Thirteen followed the uneven steps of the person leading her to Lord Death. There was a very slight scent of decaying flesh. She was uneasy, hadn't Kerry said something about a zombie teacher at the academy? She couldn't really remember too well, and Kerry liked to joke around, so the validity of the statement was questionable. She stepped through a set of doors, tripping over the lip on the ground. She righted herself and stood, cheeks flaming. The doors shut behind her, and Lord Death greeted her with a loud _**“Well hiya!”**_ She jumped. He began to talk about what a wonderful day it was outside. Thirteen listened politely, but soon realized he would go on all day if she didn't say anything. _**“Um. Lord Death. Do you have any idea why I am here.”**_   The grim reaper lapsed into silence before he asked her _ **”How long have you been blind Thirteen?”**_ She was silent for a moment before she answered,  _ **“A while.”**_

 _ **“Hmmmm,”**_ was his only response. _**“Kerry didn't tell you anything did she?”**   _Thirteen shook her head.

_**“I see. Well, the truth of the matter is that I have needed you here for a while. Kerry finally thought it was time to send you here. I need someone with your skills at the academy.”** _

_**“But Lord Death, I don’t have skills, I don't think I ever did. And even if I did have skills at some point, they are certainly gone now. I shouldn't be here. I think I should just head back to Kerry's...”** _

_**“I believe that is for me to decide Thirteen. And as for those skills, give them time. You would be surprised how much something can grow when given enough time. Now you have to get a move on. Sid! Give Thirteen her room assignment and her new address, and send Nygus in, we have some other things to talk about. Goodbye now!”** _

And just like that, she was whipped out of the room, had several papers shoved into her hands, and let alone in the empty hallways of the DWMA.

 

**↭↭↭↭**

 

She stood there, lost for several seconds, trying to understand what had just happened. The papers in her hands felt like stones, weighing her down. She’d encountered this problem several times on her journey here, people would a draw a map for her, one she couldn't read, and send her on her merry way. How she was going to pull this off in the school, she had no idea. The sound of footsteps behind her gave her an idea. She hoped that this person was a teacher, or at least an older student.

 _ **“Um. Excuse me? Do you know where this is?”** _ she handed over her papers. After the initial rustle and several seconds of silence, they were placed back in her hands.

 _ **“Just follow me, I’m headed that way myself.”**   S_he let out a sigh of relief and followed the sound of his footsteps _ **“Well here we are, Class Crescent Moon. We’re just in time too. I hear the teacher is going to be doing an extra special dissection today.”**_

 _ **“Oh, well that sounds...wonderful,”**_  she responded awkwardly. Her guide laughed maniacally as they entered the room.

 

Soul allowed his eyes to wander around the room, trying to give the impression he was bored, when in reality he was desperately trying not to look at the empty seat beside him. Today was the first day of two star meister training, and Maka wasn't here to share it with him. He swallowed against the lump in his throat. Because of him she wasn't going to be able to live out her dream, and that was almost enough to kill him. He still had at least half an hour until class started, so he might as well get this over with. Soul stood and ignored the titters of the few classmates in the room. Today was the day he was going to get these damn bandages off. It had been three years since he had stepped in front of the Kishin’s blast. It had ripped open his scar and his old wound, and because of the madness, it had taken years instead of months to heal. As he walked into the infirmary, he caught sight of the empty hospital bed. A memory assaulted him. Maka in the bed, Black Star’s autograph on her forehead, her face red with anger while the rest of them laughed as she Maka-Chopped him. He kept his face expressionless until he heard Nygus behind him.

 _“How are you feeling Soul?”_ she asked him.

Like shit. But he couldn't say that now could he? _**“Fine. I can’t wait to get these things off.”**_

 _ **“That's what I like to hear.”** _ The sound of tearing fabric filled the room, and Soul took a deep breath for the first time it years. When Nygus stepped away, the demon scythe took his first good look at himself in three years. His hair had gotten longer, it fell shaggily to the collar of his shirt. _**"I need a haircut."**_ he muttered idly. He’d gotten tanner after all those hours spent training with Mifune. Sharp cheekbones slashed across his face, he’d lost weight and built muscle. Dark bruises circled his eyes. He was tired and he looked it. Dammit. He’d have to fix that, and soon. Three years of keeping everyone out was not going to stop now, not if he could help it. His eyes traveled downwards, tracing the angry red line that spanned from his left shoulder to his right hip. He brushed his hair back, setting it into its usual spiked style. He smiled, revealing sharp teeth and said in a falsely cheerful voice _**“Look'in good huh Nygus?”**_ The demon knife was not fooled, but decided to respect the front Soul was putting up. Poor kid had enough to deal with. _**“As always Soul. Better get moving. Professor Stein won’t tolerate any lates this year.”** _ Nygus left the room as Soul pulled on his shirt. He sat on the bed for a few seconds, crimson eyes gazing accusingly at crimson eyes. Shaking his head, he stood and made his way back to the classroom. Stein still wasn’t there. He got nods from Kid and Blackstar, their earlier fight forgotten and forgiven. He went back to his customary seat, observing the gang. Tsubaki as tucking a stray hair behind Black Star’s ear, Liz and Kid were trying to wrestle Patti’s hair into two pigtails, all the while shooting sideways glances at each other. He smirked, looks like the gang was all paired up now in more ways than one.

Except him, but that was his own fault. Granted, he’d always viewed Maka as a friend, but he could’ve had a relationship if he’d wanted to.

If his conscience had let him. 

He would never know now.

The sound of the door opening stopped him from descending into yet another spiral of depression. Stein had finally arrived, and something must have been funny because he was laughing. Soul turned his attention to his paper and began to doodle in the margins, angrily erasing when he realized he had begun to draw music notes. He hadn't touched a piano in three years, couldn't make himself even try. The entire room hushed, which made Soul pick his head up.

New student huh? Cool.


	8. Orientation Eternity-Will It Be The Revival Of A Dormant Power?

All eyes were on her, she could feel them. Piercing, curious, haughty. The whispers began to swell until Stein quelled them with his greeting of _**“Good morning students.”**_ There came the reluctant _**“Good morning Professor Stein.”** _ Thirteen’s head whipped around in surprise. The legendary Professor Stein was going to her mentor?

 ** _“I’m glad to see all of you have decided to return from the summer break. Things are going to be working a little differently this year. Unfortunately we won't have the time to do as many dissections I would like. Nevertheless, in addition to you normal classes with me, there will be an increased focus on your soul resonance and resonance link’s in battle. Many of you will be out on missions more frequently. We need everyone to be prepared. The Kishin’s madness still as an effect, and we can’t afford to lose anymore of you.”_** the sound a pencil snapping caught her attention. _ **“We also have a new student joining us. Please take a seat, row 8 seat 8.**_ ” And with that she was effectively dismissed to try and find her way to a seat in a room she didn't know. How hard could this be though? She had traversed for months over the unforgiving countryside. Getting to a seat should be easy, right? As she ascended the steps, she heard the whispers from the other students.

_**“Why are her glasses still on? Doesn't she know she's inside?”** _

Row one.

_**“And what’s with that cloak? Pretty ratty huh?”** _

Row two.

_**“Dude, get a look at that soul! Never seen one like that before.”** _

Row three.

_**“Hey sis. You think shes old enough to be here? She looks pretty tiny.”** _

Row four.

_**“Huh. Probably another bottom feeder in the class. No way she can beat me.”** _

Row five.

_**“Hey Tsubaki, do you think you could get a form like that?”** _

Row six.

_**"There is something strange about that girl, but I don’t know what. Freaks me out Jacki.”** _

Row seven.

Silence in row eight. Cheeks flaming, she gripped the backs of three chairs before one scraped the floor loudly in front of her. She mumbled a thank you and sat down stiffly. She was now conscious of her tiredness. She’d been up for two days straight with only a handful of berries to keep her going. And now she had to sit through a class and pretend to pay attention.

 _ **“The name’s Soul, Soul Eater Evans.”**_ the boy next to her introduced himself. He had a low, bored sounding voice, as though nothing in the world quite mattered to him anymore.

_**“Name’s Thirteen.”** _

_**“Thirteen huh, I guess that’s pretty cool...”**_ He was about to say something else, but Stein interrupted him with the start of class.

_**“Today we will start to learn about the soul force technique. Now the soul force is and advanced technique that only a few of you will be able to accomplish. It takes……”** _

 

Damn she was tiny, that was the first thing to cross his mind as he watched Stein and the new girl enter the room. She was smaller than Maka was, thinner and shorter. The planes of her face appeared as though they were carved into a stick of cinnamon. Most of her facial features were obscured by a pair of oversized black sunglasses. Her body was covered by a giant travelling cloak. His temper flashed at the comments he was hearing, but he kept himself in check. The first day of school was not the time to get in trouble for brawling. He had only half listened to Stein’s spiel, but even he caught the not so subtle mention of Maka.

His pencil snapped. Dammit. That was the only one he had brought with him. He slid the seat out for her with his foot, noting how her hands were shaking. Red color painted her cheeks, She’d heard the comments too. Soul had the overwhelming urge to protect her. As she passed him, she thanked him, and he was enveloped in the scent of fresh pine and cinnamon.

_**“The name’s Soul. Soul Eater Evans.”** _

_**“Name’s Thirteen”** _ she responded quietly. Her voice sounded like it was seldom used, almost like when someone was recovering from a particularly bad cold and couldn't talk much without losing their voice.

 _ **“Thirteen huh. I guess that’s pretty cool.”**_ He was about to ask her if she had an extra pencil, but Stein started to talk and they lapsed into silence.

 

Professor Stein’s lecture on soul force was interesting, but what good was it if you couldn't even see your enemies. She turned lord Death’s words over and over in her head. Give it time. She had given it time. Years of time. She was sixteen now, and Thirteen had resigned herself back to a life of darkness yet again. Why Kerry though this would help she didn't know. Thirteen felt a pang in her heart. In the months of her travels, she hadn't heard a word from the witch. Maybe now that she was settled down she could send her a letter or something. All too soon, the lecture was over.

 _ **“Alright students. Time for your training with Mifune. And Black Star, please do not break the walls again, its getting tiresome fixing it.”**_ There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her once great fighting skills had become nearly non-existent since Ana had died. she had relied heavily on her ‘sight’ and now that it was gone, she had only the basics at her disposal. She felt a warm hand brush her own, accompanied by a painful jolt of electricity. She snatched her hand back, rubbing the old injury on her back. She didn't she Soul rubbing his own scar, massaging the center of his chest, staring at her with a mixture of hope and dread.

 _ **“Do you want me to show you where Mifune’s room is?”**_  he asked her. She opened her mouth, but it was Professor Stein who spoke, right behind Soul.

 _ **“A kind offer Mr. Evans. However, Thirteen will be coming with me today. You can go.”**_  Soul stood and left, leaving Thirteen alone with Professor Stein.

And as the door closed behind him, she caught a glimmer of blue.

She kept her face expressionless as she followed Stein down the main floor. She was getting glimmers of blue coming off of him too. It was a bittersweet feeling, seeing without having the familiar yellow soul floating around in the background.

 

Stein sat in his swivel chair and spun around several times before placing a cigarette in his mouth. These day’s he no longer smoked them, but he stilled like the way they felt on his lips.

 _ **“So, Tell me Thirteen, how long have you been blind.”** _ The younger meister froze, blood draining completely from her face. Crap, Marie would kill him if he managed to get the poor girl to faint.

 _ **“How many people know?”**_ she asked quietly. He was surprised that her immediate response did not include tears. In his experience, most people who lost their sight were fairly sensitive about the topic, especially teenagers.

 _ **“Oh don’t worry, the only people who know are Lord Death and myself. You've done a pretty good job of training yourself to not act blind. I wouldn't have noticed if you had reacted to the blood all over my lab coat.”** _ She didn't respond, but her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

_**“You won’t tell will you?”** _

_**“Not unless I have to. So tell me, what’s a druid like you doing in a place like this?”**_ She sighed tiredly.

 _ **“Your guess, Professor Stein, is as good as mine.”** _ she told him quietly. He noticed how tired the kid looked. He should let her go, but he needed information.

_**“So tell me, where did Kerry manage to find you? It’s not all that often a witch chooses to share.”** _

Silence. Hmmmmmm, clamming up now eh?

 _ **“You never did answer my first question, where is it you are from again?”** _ A dark look passed over her face, changing her calm features into something darker, more dangerous. Stein, for the first time in years, felt a sliver of fear.

_**“That, Professor Stein, is none of your concern. May I go now?”** _

Ever so polite was she. But Stein could sense the unrest in her soul. Dark things were trying to claw their way out, and she was holding them back. How one so young could accumulate so many demons, he’d never know.

_**“Yes. I believe we are done for today. I’ll send someone to show you to your apartment in a few minutes.”** _

She left without a word. He’d send Marie. She always knew what to do in cases like this.

 

Thirteen closed the door and locked it. She sank tiredly to the ground. What an adventure Kerry had sent her one. She stood again and eventually found the bedroom again. It was small and sparse, but it had a mattress and warm blankets, luxuries she hadn't had since she had left Kerry’s. Not even bothering to shower, she fell onto the bed and willed herself to sleep, knowing that the next few days would be hellish.

 

**↭↭↭↭**

 

 _ **“Something is off about her.”**_ Liz said as they turned the corner, breaking the silence.

 _ **“Yeah. Its her soul. I’m not surprised that you all noticed.”** _ The rest of the gang waited for him to elaborate. Even after three years, Kid still wasn't used to being the only one who could sense souls.

_**“Its hard to explain. The best way to put it is that it’s like a witch’s soul, but not.”** _

_**“So is she like Kim? A good witch?”**_ Black Star asked. Kid shook his head.

_**“No, Regenerative magic or not, Kim is still a witch. I guess you could say that she has magic, but isn't a witch.”** _

_**“So what is she?”** _

_**“I've read about these extremely rare types of magic users called druids. There aren't many of them left.”** _

_**“What do they do? Are they dangerous?”** _

_**“The book didn't really say. I gather that they were all different. The only commonality that they had was the ability to ‘become one with nature’ whatever that means.”** _

As Tsubaki explained what commonality meant to Black Star, Soul hung back, bringing up the rear of the group. He flexed the hand that had touched hers, unsure about what it meant for the future. He had a similar connection with Maka, the first time they met, but it had been no where near this strong. And this stuff about druids, Soul didn't know what to think. But what he was sure of was that his talk with Lord Death could wait just a little while longer.  

 

The next few days were a flurry of activity for her, learning her way around the school and her way around Death City. Luckily, the weather held, sunny and warm, just her kind of weather. Her soul perception had come back, it wasn't anywhere as good as it was before, but anything was better than being blind. Next week she would become a full academy student, until then, she was only required to attend Professor Stein’s class. All the better for her, because she was learning many things that had been foreign to her before. Thirteen had never know that weapons and meisters could choose one another, and that partners could switch and share weapons. She’d always assumed that you were assigned a partner and that was the end of it. Another new concept to her were these meister teams. She had always had to rely on herself in battle, her own strength and her own wits, relying on others was so weird to her. What if they messed up or weren't paying attention? It wasn't really a problem yet, however, because she didn't have a weapon, or a team.

As her soul perception came back so did her desire to reawaken her druid abilities. Thirteen had all but stopped using her form of magic, partly because of Ana’s death, but mostly because she just couldn't see what she was doing, and she was unwilling to have anyone hurt in the process. Much to her delight, her powers came back to her eagerly, happy to do her bidding. It felt good to use magic again, but it also meant getting back into the swing of meditating. Druids were not witches, yet they had magic like witches. Like a witch, abilities from druid to druid varied, but a druid’s power came from a deep connection to nature. A witch’s power came through sacrifice, self or otherwise. It came from blood and death and suffering and created the perfect environment for more to follow. Ironically, witch magic usually carried and animal theme, which was a derivation of druid magic. Kerry had told her about the main groups of druid magic. There was animal magic in which a druid had a special connection to animals. Kerry had known one that could talk to animals. There was plant magic, which was the same as animal magic except that instead of talking to animals, these druids talked to plants. There was spiritual magic where the druid would manipulate the spirits in the realm to do what they wanted. And lastly, there was elemental magic. Thirteen possessed elemental magic, which meant that she had to meditate often or risk losing her connection with the elements. It was important to remember that each element was a separate part of a whole. If that was forgotten, chaos would ensue, and she did not have the time of clean up an earthquake.

Despite her quiet nature, she had managed to make a few friends, the kindest of whom was Tsubaki. She had a yellow soul, just like Ana’s, but Tsubaki’s soul was the color of a dandelion. It was very pretty. The bell rang, signalling the end of Professor Stein’s class. She walked outside, as usual, one of the last students to exit the classroom. Behind her was Soul, who hadn't said a word to her since that first day. She often got the feeling that he wanted to say something to her, but never did, and Thirteen wasn't about to push the subject. There was something wrong with his soul. The pale, ethereal blue marred by something dark she couldn't quite see. The wind had picked up, and there was a chill in the air. Winter was coming, she could smell it. Wrapping her cloak more tightly around her, she walked away from the rest of the class and made her way to the forested area attached to the school, the one place where she could really see.

 

Soul watched her walk away, frustration growing. He couldn't understand why he was having so much trouble talking to this one girl. Hell, Tsubaki had spoken to her, and she sat across the room from them, So why couldn't he, who was mere inches away, say anything. He sighed, another lost opportunity. Oh well, there was always tomorrow. Hopefully a good sparring session would help to alleviate some of this anxiety he’d built up.

 

The last bell of the day rang, So Thirteen gathered up her belongings and began to make the long walk home. The the sun had disappeared behind some clouds, and the wind had picked up further. The temperature dropped, much to her displeasure. All too soon, without the sun to guide her, she got hopelessly lost.

  
The last bell of the day rang, and Soul zipped up his leather jacket. His bike was in the repair shop, getting the tires rotated and balanced, so it left him with no other choice but to walk home. The sun had disappeared behind a huge bunch of clouds, it was pretty dark out now. He flipped up the collar of his jacket, a meager barrier against the wind, and began the walk before there were anymore unwanted weather changes.


	9. Another Dead End-Will There Be A Way Out?

She was now officially lost and she was panicking slightly. There was no one around, and she thought she may have wandered into an abandoned alleyway. While debating on the best course of action, she heard a glass bottle connect softly with a brick wall. She froze, uneasy feeling settling like a stone in the pit of her stomach. Thirteen turned to face the red souls of three kishin eggs. This day was not going the way she had hoped. The wind blew her cloak upward, exposing her jean clad legs and shooting a blast of cold air across her skin, she shivered as the three souls gleamed brighter.

 _ **“Well well well. Lookee here fella’s. A sweet girl with a sweet soul.”**_ his voice was slow and sticky like molasses, and left an unpleasant feeling on her skin.

 _ **“Yeah girlee, what brings you into our alley huh?”**_ a second voice question her, rougher than the first, but still just as unpleasant. Thirteen didn’t respond, she was too busy trying to figure the least painful way to get out of the alley. She was in a unknown part of town with three men she was fairly certain wanted to cause her harm. And since when could alley's be owned?

_**“Well would you look at that. Too good to talk to us. I don’t like stuck up bitches.”** _

_**“Neither do I”**_ the third voice echoed.

 _ **“Maybe we need to teach you a lesson”**_ the first voice threatened. _ **“When someone talks to you, you answer!”**_

 _ **“I would be very careful before I put my hands on the lady gentleman.”**_ she knew that voice. It was the same one she had heard that first day in class.

It was Soul.

 _ **“Who the fuck are you?”**_ one of the men snarled, tone utterly inhuman.

_**“Someone you should listen to asshole. Now beat it.”** _

_**“Get rid of him. I want to get a taste of her before I take her soul."**_  His arm shot out, which she easily blocked, but it was two against one, and with her weakened soul perception, she was no match for these two Kishin eggs. She held her own for a little while until they doubled teamed her, one sweeping her legs out from under her while the other pushed her back. The rough cobblestone bit into her back, and one of the men fell on top her, hands fighting to find the end of her cloak. Thirteen continued to bite, buck, and kick, but he was so heavy, she couldn't get enough leverage. The other grabbed her hands and trapped them over her head Fear set in, gripping her so tightly she almost forgot how to fight. The sound of skin hitting skin filled the small space, until a pained grunt told her that one of the scufflers had prevailed. Something knocked the man on top of her over. Her newly freed torso twisted upwards, and she grabbed her other assailant by the neck with her ankles. Rolling up, she managed to straddle him and get a few good punches in before he bucked her off. A body flew past her and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward. The familiar tingly feeling giving away the identity of the person even if she couldn't see his bright blue soul.

 _ **“Thirteen! Thirteen?! Can you hear me?! Have you ever used a scythe before?”** _ She must have nodded yes, because before she knew it, there was a scythe in her hands again. And there was music, the saddest, most beautiful music she had ever heard.

 

He was almost home when he heard the voices of the three dudes. There was something about them that he didn't like, so he went to go investigate. Just because Death City was Lord Death’s home didn't mean it was all rainbows and fairy tales. If anything, Death City was one of the most dangerous places in the world, if you didn't know your way around, you could get yourself into serious trouble. So he walked into the alley expecting to see one of the one star meisters getting mugged. Imagine his surprise when he came face to face with the subject of this thoughts over the past few days. He’d given them a warning, now all bets were off. Smirking, he moved in, eager for the fight.

 

He was heavy, much, much heavier than Ana. But it wasn't unbearable, and much to her surprise, his soul resembled that of blue fire. And the music that permeated everything was saddening and uplifting as well. It seemed to give her the energy she needed to win this fight. The three Kishin eggs had assembled in front of her. The ragged sound of their breathing was a combination of anger and pain. She vaguely felt a throbbing on her chest that would most likely turn into a nasty bruise later on. They rushed her again, trying to throw her off balance, she dodged two and blocked the last, changing direction in the last second to throw him off balance. Slashing in a wide arch, she lobbed of his head. The scent of blood filled the alley, as did the enraged shrieks of the man’s friends. This time she ran at them, dropping low and swinging her foot out to sweep his out from under him. Anchoring the haft into a space between the cobblestone, she pushed herself up and arched over the scythe, landing behind the other man. In a matter of seconds, he was in two pieces. The last man was wheezing on the ground, breathe knocked out of him.

 _ **“Please…”** _ he pleaded, but Thirteen drove the base of the scythe into his chest, cutting off whatever bullshit he was going to try to feed her.

 _ **“Sorry. But I don’t bargain with Kishins”**_ The haft of the scythe heated in her hands and she stepped away.

 _ **“Are you alright?”**_ he asked her.

 _ **“Yeah. Just a little shaken.”**_ His footsteps reverberated hollowly in the space, he was moving towards the first gleaming red soul. She thought it was just going to disappear, like with Ana. She wasn’t prepared to hear him eat it.

Apparently each weapon had its own way of absorbing souls.

 _ **“What the hell are you doing on this side of town at this time? Don’t you know how dangerous Death City can be?”**_ the second soul was gone. She bristled slightly at the last remark, she wasn’t an idiot, she had just gotten a little lost.

_**“I just got a little turned around.”** _

He sighed as the last soul disappeared, and she could have sworn he said, _**“Thank you meister Thirteen for this lovely meal.”**_

_**“Come on, I’ll walk you home. Those weren't the only creeps in Death City. Where is you live?”** _

_**“Um, Building 3, Floor D, #813.”** _

_**“Styx that’s on the other side of town. How about you just crash at my place tonight? I’ll take you back in the morning.”** _

_**“Well… I… um…”** _

_**“Oh come on, I promise not to bite.”** _

The particularly strong blast of cold air decided it for her. She nodded and he even remembered to grab her staff for her. His apartment was around the corner of where they had fought. She realized with a start that he could have easily ignored whatever had been going on and things could have been much, much worse.

 _ **“Hey, you ok?”**_ She made herself nod and forced her features to remain calm.

 _ **“Well, here we are, its not much but…”** _ the phone rang, cutting him off. Thirteen found her way to the couch and was trying to battle the rising hysteria in her throat. Ordering herself to calm down, she eventually dozed off to the sound of Soul’s voice talking about motorcycles, whatever those things were.

 

**↭↭↭↭**

 

He didn't know why he offered, he was feeling a bit reckless then. Coming down from the high of the fight with three souls floating deliciously in front of him made him say things he normally wouldn't have. The weapon had noticed her staff lying on the ground, when he handed it to her he noticed that her hands weren't burned. That sent him into a contemplative silence, broken only by the sudden pallor in her face at they ascended the steps to his apartment. She didn't answer his question, but her features relaxed, so he assumed she was fine. As soon as he got home, Morty called him about his bike, and he lost track of time. The decals, he said, looked great and he was excited to show them to Soul. When he turned around, Thirteen was fast asleep on his couch, curled up into a small ball. Soul stared at her for a few minutes, wondering what the hell he was doing. Eventually, he stood and covered her with the spare throw he kept in the living room, and then silently padded over to his own. Locked in his own space, he gazed blankly into the darkness. He didn't move again until he heard the screaming.

 

She was in a dark room with a dark presence. It was Ana, she knew it, but she couldn't believe it. Anger, it was everywhere. It immobilized her with its potency, it permeated everything in the room. She was actually afraid of this anger, so complete that she knew no reason could break it.

 _ **“You think going to a new place where no one knows you that you can be rid of me?”** _ she hissed at her. And then she laughed, high and crazed, it was unlike any sound Thirteen had ever heard come out of a human throat. Ana had her pinned down, hot breath foul on her face,

 _ **“You can never be rid of me Thirteen. You will never escape me.”**_ There was pressure on her chest, _ **“No matter how hard you try.”**_ And then she ripped open her chest.

 _ **“Thirteen! Thirteen! Wake up dammit, it’s just a nightmare!”** _ She was jolted out of her dream and stopped fighting.

 _ **“Wh-where am I?”**_  she croaked out, throat raw and dry.

 _ **“My apartment, remember. There was a fight yesterday,”** _ he told her in a deadpan voice.

_**“Classes have been canceled today, something about a security breach at the Magic Division.”** _

_**“Oh.”** _

_**“Yeah. When do you want to go?”** _ She stared at the enigma of a weapon in front of her. Cocking her head to one side, she stared down the hallway, there was another soul here, or another had lived her for a very long time. Turning her attention back to him, she wondered why he wanted to help her. They had just met, and here he was, offering to help her.

_**“Whenever you want.”** _

_**“Alright then, let’s go.”** _

 

She grabbed her staff and followed the sound of his footsteps out the door, down the stairs and onto the street. She fell into step beside his bright soul and kept the silence between them. They walked up the four flights of stairs, floors getting progressively colder the farther up they went. She reached for her keys and cursed herself as her hand trembled and failed to get the key into the lock. The door finally clicked open, and she heard Soul growl behind her.

 _ **“This building never has any working heat”**_ he muttered to himself before walking deeper into the apartment. A loud clanging sounded, and trickle of warm aim moved through the apartment.They stood awkwardly next to each other for a few minutes before he began to walk away.

_**“I guess I’ll see you on Monday then.”** _

_**“I guess so… Thank you… for the help.”** _

_**“Don’t sweat it.”** _

_**“Ok. Um, cool.”** _

She didn't see his smirk, _**“Cool.”** _ he turned to leave, _ **“And if you want to work together in Stein’s class…”**_

 

 _ **“Yeah, that would be cool”**_ her quiet voice told him. He smirked as he saw her face turn a pretty shade of red. He knew he shouldn't take pleasure in messing with her, but it had been too easy. By the time he got home from riding his bike around the city, it was dusk.

But there was a light on in his apartment. Soul hunched his shoulders against the wind. It was going to be another cold night. He didn't really remember if he had left a light on or not, so he hurried up the steps, not wanting to let anyone get away with trashing his place. The closer he got, the more worried he became, until he was practically running up the stairs. He burst through the door and came face to face with Maka’s mother.

She was surrounded with the boxes containing all of her daughters things. _**“What the hell do you think you are doing?”** _ he choked out, angry and hurt. 

 _ **“I am merely collecting my daughters. Surely even you can understand that”** _  Her eyes were hard, holding none of the warmth Maka’s had. He saw pain and blame there, pain and blame that he knew were mirrored in his own gaze when he caught a look at himself. Weapons were supposed to protect their meisters, not let them die. _**“You’re taking everything?”**_ he asked, voice tired.

 _ **“Yes, you have not use for it.”**_ He was about to point out that she didn't either, but knew that it wasn't his place. The unspoken _ **“and neither do you”**_ hung in the air between them. She collected the boxes and was about to walk out the door when she turned. _**“I suppose you can keep these, they are of no use to me.”** _ she tossed Maka’s gloves at him, and pointed her chin at three of the largest boxes in a corner.

The door slammed loudly behind her, ringing with a finality he wasn't sure he was ready for. Soul walked slowly, painfully over to them and held the gloves to his chest. Sinking to the ground beside Maka’s collection of books, he allowed the guilt to swallow him up, the only thing accompanying him in the empty room. He began to hum Maka’s favorite song, slowly and softly under his breath until the first drops of rain hit his window. Picking up the boxes, he left them in her room,and took the ruined gloves with him, shutting the door and putting out the light.

 

**↭↭↭↭**

 

 _ **“Yeah, that would be cool.”** _ she felt herself blush as he gave a short laugh and shut the door behind. She locked the door and let out a huge sigh of relief. She turned to walking into the bathroom for a much needed shower when she fell over a bundle in the ground. Blowing the hair out of her face, she felt around and came into contact with a hard wooden surface. Continuing her exploration, she found that it was a chest, and attached to the top, was a piece of paper. It was Kerry, the familiar wavelength had left an imprint on the paper, and she felt her chest constrict with happiness. It had been too long since she had heard from her old master. Running her fingertips eagerly over the paper, she found a single cryptic message.

_**“I though you’d need some clothes after you settled down kid. Don’t forget to write.”** _

Thirteen gave an uncharacteristic squeal of happiness. She wasn't vain,  but after months of wandering around in hand me down clothes, anyone would be excited at the prospect of having their own clothes again. She opened the chest and was greeted by the scent of home. Of sun dried cotton and pine trees and fresh dirt and all of the wonderful things that the city didn't have. Making her way to her room, and dragging the chest behind her, she began to unpack, thoughts of a shower long forgotten. Out came pants and sweaters and tee shirts, tank tops and shorts. Some of the things did not smell like home, prompting her to believe Kerry had bought some new things for her. She tried not to feel guilty, failed, and then promised to write to Kerry and tell her that the clothes would be put to good use. At the very bottom of the chest, she found three things that she never in a million years would have expected. One was small wood carving  in the exact shape of her dead partner. She ran her fingertips lightly over the replica, remembering every curve and point. The guilt was a weight in her chest, making it hard to move. She set it up by her bedside and tried to turn her attention back to the other things in the chest. There was a new pair of glasses and a command to _**“Get rid of those other hideous things before they blind a baby.”**_  The last thing was a heavier than clothing, but Thirteen had no idea what it could be. She unwrapped it carefully and four things clanged to the ground. She picked them up, were they bracelets? No, too big, they fell right off her wrist. It wasn’t a necklace, it was too small for that. She sat there, perplexed for a few minutes until it dawned her they were anklets, at least two of them were. She focused on them, and felt them heat up in her hands. Confused, Thirteen picked up the wrapping paper and shook it, and another piece of paper fell out. She read it, and was more confused than ever. All it said was _ **“To keep you grounded.”** _ Frustrated, she left them next to Ana’s replica and went to shower. Hair wrapped up to keep it from dripping everywhere, she sat on the edge of her bed, crossed legged, and took the things in her hands again. One was hot, the other was cool, one was rough, and the other was smooth. She gripped the rough one in her hands and focused, a bright green light shot out from it. Yelping, it fell to the ground, and the light disappeared. Warily, she picked it up again, and the light came out of it again. Biting it gently, it tasted slightly salty.

It was marble. Her mind was restless, were these what she thought they were? Had Kerry actually found a complete set? She must have had it for a while, because only druids were able to create them, at least that is what Kerry had told her. Thirteen grabbed the other ring. The hot ring that was of fire, the smooth one that was water, the cool one that was air, and the rough one that was made up of earth. With shaking fingers, he a fixed them to her ankles and wrists, where they shrunk just to size. Two on her left wrist, and two on her right ankle. Laughing, Thirteen quickly punched out a note to Kerry and sent it home with the wind, excited at what this new life would bring.

 

Early the next morning, with weak sunlight filtering through the clouds, Thirteen made her way to the school. Despite the fact that class was not in session, she had a feeling that the person she wanted to she would be there. She had heard whispers that this particular teacher resided at the academy with his charge. When she got to the door, she was overcome with nerves. What if he wasn't there? What if she was interrupting? What is she woke them up? Torn between fulfilling her need and going home and waiting for a more reasonable time, she eventually screwed up the courage to knock. A quiet, _**“Enter”**_  sounded, and she let out a sigh of relief. He didn't seen to be angry or groggy. His soul was floating in the center of the room, she could feel it’s power on her skin, it made her hair stand on end.

 _ **“I am, ah, sorry to bother you Professor Mifune.”**_  she paused.

 _ **“Well.”**_  he prodded. She shifted from foot to foot and eventually allowed her soul perception to slip away, plunging her into darkness. Setting her staff on the ground, she moved forward carefully, unused to the darkness.

 _ **“Let us say, theoretically of course, that a student that the academy was blind.”**_ He didn't speak, so she began to babble.

_**“Let’s say this student had known how to fight, but after they lost their sight, theoretically, they forgot how to. How would you, theoretically, teach this blind student how to fight again.”** _

_**“Theoretically, what styles did this now blind student know?”** _

She sank carefully to her knees, feeling around in front of her for the edge of the mat she knew was there.

_**“The student, theoretically, was proficient in tai chi and muay tai.”** _

_**“We would theoretically start by…”** _

Her whole body hurt after her sparring lesson with Mifune. It was hard, reteaching oneself to fight, to rely solely on your ears and other senses rather than your sight. It wasn't impossible, just difficult. And with the addition of Kerry's gifts, she was slightly unbalanced. She had been ordered to return every Saturday for another lesson. He had told her she wasn't terrible, just nervous and unsure, which she was. Tilting her head back, she took a deep breath and was overtaken by the scent of coffee. Her stomach rumbled.

She loved coffee.

Walking calmly, she followed her nose into the coffee shop. Retrieving her meager collection of coins, she treated herself, contemplating how on earth of get a job in this city that didn't require very good vision. Thirteen returned home and spent the rest of the day messing around with her new tools for channeling the elements.

 


	10. A Little Miss-Matched-How Will They Pair Up Again?

Sunday rained all day, which meant that it had been a long, cold day, much of the displeasure of Death City’s newest resident. The next day, however, the rain had stopped. It was still cold, but at least it wasn't cold and wet. Thirteen pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater, frowning as she plucked at the material. She was fairly certain that it had been tighter on her at one point. Shrugging, she fixed her cloak and grabbed her staff. The wood swung from side to side, serving to clear her path and direct her. The closer she got to the school, the heavier her steps became, the familiar nervousness engulfing her. Shaking herself and straightening her spine, she marched into the classroom and sat down, ready to confront the day.

 

Soul had spent the weekend berating himself. Why hadn't he just asked her to be his partner straight out? Working together in class and being a weapon meister pair where two different things. It wasn't hard, not as scary as asking a girl out. So why hadn't he? Soul knew the answer, he just didn't want to admit it. It was because he felt as though he was betraying her, betraying Maka, by taking on another meister. He knew he had too, but he couldn't bring himself too.

 

His chair scraped out and he sat, not bothering to push it back in again. _ **“We've just got Stein today. Mifune got called out on a mission. Something to do with Angela.”** _ She grunted in her acknowledgement, secretly disappointed she wasn't going to be able to spar today. The rest of Soul’s friends filled in and sat around them, talking and joking easily with one another. She was the odd one out. Thirteen had the feeling she was being watched, and turned towards the reaper’s son, his soul was in a pale gold light, and there seemed to be teeth attached. _**“I would prefer if you didn't look so hard.”**_ she muttered quietly. His soul flashed in embarrassment and annoyance. Soul perception gave the meister the ability to look at and identify different souls. Especially powerful ones were able to analyze them, giving them the ability to tell what the enemy was and where it came from. Some could even see through a witch’s soul protect. Thirteen didn’t like being analyzed, it made her feel like she was a bug being prodded by a child. The room went quiet and Professor Stein and Ms. Marie walked in. _ **“We will be working on our meister-weapon soul resonances. You have all proven yourselves to  be great fighters, but how well can you actually resonate?”**_ There was an arrogant snort which Professor Stein choose to ignore. Thirteen fell into step beside a female weapon with a tranquil soul.

 ** _“So."_ ** Tsubaki began. _ **"How are you adjusting?"**_

 _ **“Well enough.”**_ she winced, they reply had come out short and clipped. Thirteen had spoken with her on several occasions and like her. It had felt like the beginnings of a friendship.

 _ **“Oh…”**_ Thirteen felt terrible. Conversation was not her forte, but Tsubaki had made an effort, and there were some things she was curious about, so she kept at it.

_**“Who is your meister?”** _

_**“Black Star.”** _ her voiced brightened instantly when she talked about her meister. Her soul glowed to match her voice.

 _ **“I HEARD MY NAAAAAAME!”**_ Thirteen jumped in surprise and almost dropped her staff. Tsubaki glared at her meister, all former traces of affection gone.

_**“Oh Black Star, do you really have to be so loud?”** _

_**“Of course I do. HA HA HA. I AM the one who is going to surpass god.  EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW WHO I AM! So that they can bask in the glory”**_ Tsubaki sighed good naturedly and choose to ignore Black Star’s continued rant until they entered the clearing. Thirteen’s ears hurt. Meister’s and weapons immediately partnered up as she and Soul stood awkwardly next to one another. Stein just laughed at them.

 _ **“Alright. Mix it up.”**_ Everyone looked strangely at him, unsure of what it do.

_**“Well don’t just stand there, you heard me. We already know you can resonate with your weapon partner. I want to see if you can manage it with other weapons.”** _

_**“But what’s the point?”** _ Ox Ford sneered at him _**“It’s not like we will actually have to use other weapons.”**_

Out of no where, Stein flung Nygus at Ox, pinning him to a nearby tree. Their souls were perfectly in sync. The nurse transformed back again and disappeared into the forest, here Sid was most likely waiting. _ **“While it is true it is unlikely that a meister will have to use another weapon in battle, a true meister should be able to use whatever is available to him or her. Now pair up.”** _ Soul shot Thirteen a look before moving off with Kid and Black Star. Thirteen stayed with Tsubaki and the other two weapons, Liz and Patti, the infamous Thompson sisters. After about half an hour of successful soul resonances with each of them, she caught the sound of a soft melody. She turned her head, but was unable to focus the sound.

 _ **“Thirteen. Soul. Come here.”**_ The two teens stoop in front of Stein, Soul gazed at the ground, while Thirteen stared straight ahead. _ **“I want you two to try to resonate together.”** _  and he left. The tension was so thick that one wrong move and it would shatter. Thirteen shifted from foot to foot, unsure of where to begin. Eventually, she just started to try to match his wavelength, but it was difficult for her. With all of the other souls around her and that low, distracting melody, it took her a good 45 minutes to even identify Soul’s wavelength, much less match it.

 _ **“Sorry.”** _ she apologized, voice dejected. She felt a migraine coming on. Only a few meisters had been able to resonate with someone other than their weapon partner, Kid and Black Star among them. Kid was muttering something about symmetry, and Black Star was bragging to Tsubaki how well he had done.

_**“It’s alright. Partners are patient with one another.”** _

 

Soul gazed at Thirteen’s face, strained and tired. Her hand gripped her staff, knuckles white with effort. Her quiet _**“sorry”**_ just made him feel guilty. He’d felt a spark a few times, but he hadn’t been able to coax a flame out of it. Thoughts of Maka kept breaking his concentration. He didn’t know what came over him in that second, but the words _**“It’s alright. Partners are patient with one another.”** _ burst out of him. And it was too late to take them back. But he found he didn’t want to. Soul had finally taken the plunge, time would tell if he could sink or swim.

 

Stein was not happy with the class. His disappointment was palpable. _ **“We’re done. I hope you consider what has been accomplished today.”**_ He walked home with Kid that day, silence stretching amicably between them. He broke the silence. _**“What the hell am I going to do Kid? It’s been three years. I can’t resonate, I can’t fight, I can’t do this anymore.”** _ Kid looked his friend, profile dejected and angry.

_**“We all lost her Soul.”** _

_**“But it wasn't your job to keep her safe.”**  _Kid had nothing to say to that.

 _ **“So this Thirteen girl. You think it can work?”**_ Soul growled out an _**“I don’t know Kid. But I felt something, I don’t know what it was... but it felt good.”**_

The grim reaper was silent for a second, thoughtful.

_**“Try a mission with her, see how it goes. She seems pretty capable. What’s the worst that could happen?”** _

The scythe thought about it. _**“I’ll ask, but you’re right. It can’t hurt.”**_

She was clearly surprised.

_**“So, you’re telling me that you want to go on a mission with a meister you have never successfully resonated with...”** _

_**“Well when you put it that way… “** _

_**“Sure.”**_ she smiled at him, and now it was his turn to be surprised. But then he laughed, _ **“I like your style Thirteen.”**_ They walked together to the mission wall and he asked if there was anything she really didn't want to do. She shrugged, unable to think if anything in the moment. Professor Stein appeared behind them.

 _ **“Lord Death sent me to find you two. Here.”** _ he walked away.

_**“What is it?”** _

_**“A mission scroll. But it doesn't look like anyone I've ever seen.”** _

_**“Well, what does it say?”**_ she asked impatiently.

_**“It just says to 'eliminate the rest of Arachnophobia.'”** _

Thirteen now knew what mission she really didn't want.


	11. Apartment Complex-How Do You Get Rid Of A Spider Infestation?

Soul glared at Thirteen’s back as she seemed to effortlessly float through the forest. Why the hell did Arachnophobia headquarters have to be in the middle of no-fucking-where? He couldn't take his bike, they had to resort to tramping through the undergrowth on foot. And he was the only damn one struggling. Frustrated, he swatted a mosquito on his arm. He let Thirteen lead the way, she seemed to know where she was going, here staff clearing a path for them. She had been quiet the whole journey, which wasn't unlike her, but there was something different about this silence. The swirls of black a white wood seemed the glow in the half light. He knew from experience that it was light and smooth, and it was always warm. There were strange symbols carved into it, but he hadn't found a moment to ask her about them. Come to think if it, there was a lot about his meister that he didn't know.

And then he ran straight into her and almost knocked her over.

_**“What the…”** _

_**“Shhhhh!”** _ the staff smacked him smartly on the leg.

There was movement just us ahead of them, and then the forest got quiet, too quiet.

_**“My Lord Mosquito, we have company from the DWMA outside. What do you want us to do?”** _ The little man turned slightly, his odd profile illuminated by the weak half light.

_**“How many do we have left?”** _

_**“15, maybe 20.”** _

_**“Damn.”** _

_**“But they are the best.”** _

The little man nodded his approval, sending the rest of his force to confront the pair, while he himself turned over an idea in his head. There had been whispers that Medusa had returned, and no matter how much he hated the snake, he’d learn to love a different predator before.

Besides, snakes didn't eat mosquito's, not like spiders did.

_**“We've got company”** _ her quiet voice informed him. He shifted a more defensive position. She grabbed his arm, he felt a shock, but he ignored the tingling travelling up his arm. _**“Change.”**_ He didn't see what she did with her staff, but her hands were empty had she gripped him. Figures in cracked white masks emerged from the shadows.

Soul was a comforting weight across her shoulders, being heavier than Ana made her feel safe and secure. His soul wavelength however, was a jumbled mass of what sounded to be music notes. Now she knew were that melody had been coming from.

 _ **“You shouldn't have come here little girl.**_ ” one of them warned her.

 _ **“It is my mission to rid the world of possible Kishins, unfortunately for you, all of your souls have become Kishin eggs. Today, your soul is mine.”** _ Her voice stayed quiet, yet it reverberated with power through the silent forest.

No one moved for a breath.

And then they all rushed her.

Her soul perception, weak as it still was, provided her enough sight to easily block all of their attacks. The sounds of metal clanging against metal filled the air. Their weapons gliding easily off the haft of her scythe. The circles her, whispering amongst one another, determining the best method of attack. Two men, diagonal to each other, charged her again. Body a blur, she sliced one in half in an upward stroke, the other lost an arm on the resulting downward slice. She kept her movements fast and smooth, fluid like water. There was a growl behind her, _ **“You shouldn't have done that bitch.”**_

She froze, that voice, she knew that voice. The scar on her back prickled uneasily. They came at her again, she slammed the haft of the scythe into the chest of one, then pivoted, beheading a second. She flipped over into a handstand, grabbed a third by the neck, and slammed his head into the ground. The sickening sound of his skull being driven into his brain made bile rise in her throat, but it had to be done. Using her forward momentum and vaulting over the broken body, she split another in half.

Six down, eleven to go. The remaining Kishin eggs gleamed evilly red. They were more powerful than the others.

Now was as good a time as any to try to resonate.

_**“Ready Soul.”** _

_**“Yeah”** _

Contrary to her usual fighting style, she attacked first. In flurry of blows, slices, parries and blocks, the emerged from the scuffle with a few scratches. She felt the blood dripping off her forehead. She was trying to decipher Soul’s wavelength, but it was proving to be impossible. There was no pattern, no rhyme or reason to the notes she was listening to. It was just a jumble of notes to her, no order, no pattern, nothing to match. They broke apart again, panting hard. The soles of her boots were slipping on the blood slick ground. She had managed to kill three more.

**_“Do you like music?”_ **

**_“I used to, why?”_ **

**_“Do me a favor.”_ **

**_“Yeah”_ **

**_“Play me a song.”_ **

Suddenly, the cacophony of sounds ceased, perfectly quiet. Dammit, his soul was there, but it subdued and small, as if it had collapsed in on itself.

What had she done? There was no time to worry about it know, she had eight more men to kill. Could she? They hadn't even resonated, much less tried channeling her magic. Even Ana and she had trouble with it. But there was no other way she could win this fight with an unresponsive weapon. She slowed her breathing and dodged the rapid onset of attacks, weaving in between the swords and arms. Water, the easiest element for her to connect with, was everywhere if you knew where to look. She began to twirl Soul in a rapid circle, moving the energy within the plants. She felt the familiar energy wrapping itself around her. She shot the water out, freezing it in mid air, sending lethal ice projectiles. The agonized groans told her that her weapons had found their mark. Three souls down, five left. Melting the water, she spun, and sent it out in one long continuous stream freezing it at the last second, lobbing of the heads of two others. There was a shrill sound, followed by a panicked _ **“Let’s get out of here!”**_ The last three ran off into the forest, but she was too worried about Soul to give chase. He hadn't said a word for the whole second half of the battle, and she didn't know how her magic may have affected him.

_**“Come on Soul, please answer me.”** _

Nothing. Berating herself for being so callous, she began the long, lonely walk home, occasionally calling her weapon’s name, and being continuously disappointed when he did not answer.

She left him in the corner of his apartment, propped up in a corner, making sure to re-lock the door behind her with wind magic. She ran into Tsubaki right outside.

 _ **“Oh my soul! Are you alright?”** _ Thirteen looked around and realized that she must be talking about her. She smiled weakly at her.

_**“Just peachy. We just got back from a mission.”** _

_**“You look terrible! Come one, we have to go see Nygus.”** _

_**“No, really. I’m fine.”** _

_**“Nonsense.”**_ she grabbed her arm and dragged her to the school’s infirmary.

 _ **“Oh my,”**_ Nygus sad as soon as they walking in. Well jeez, did she really look that bad? She realized how bad she looked as Nygus began to clean her face. Her entire face was covered in thick tracts of blood.   _ **“Alright, so this is going to need stitches.”**_

_**“N-n-no. I don’t need them, I’m good. Thanks for the help Tsubaki! I’ll see you around.”** _

The two girls left in the room stared at her retreating back wondering where her staff had come from.

↭↭↭↭

It had been three days since she had seen Soul. The school had been closed for more repairs. Mifune and Black Star had gotten too into their sparring session and had blown out the east wall. Three days with no sign of Soul and three days of a growing uneasy feeling in her stomach. She had wanted to so see him, but she didn't know if he wanted to see her, and she didn't want to intrude. She was in her apartment, barefoot, lounging in a pair of shorts and a tank top, practicing manipulating heated air currents. She was also trying to let her wounds breathe, upon closer inspection, she found she had a nasty gash on her thigh. The cut on her face had stopped oozing blood, but her old back injury had been aggravated.

There was a tinkling sound from the kitchen. The air currents immediately ceased. She went to grab her staff, and found it wasn't there. Uneasy, she focused, bringing out her soul perception. But she reacted too late, her head was yanked back, hair ripped out by the roots. Her eyes watered involuntarily. Neck exposed. they forced her down to her knees.

It was the three she had let escape.

_**“Alright girlie. It’s time to die.”** _

She finally remembered where she had heard that voice before.

“You were there that day.” he laughed, a high, crazed laugh.

_**“Yes. And I've been itching to finish the job that Giriko couldn't.”** _

_**“This time you won’t survive.”** _ she muttered. Thirteen struggled to break their hold, but she just wasn't strong enough or heavy enough to throw them off balance. A forearm pressed against her windpipe, cutting off her air flow. Her brain was fogging up fast, she couldn't get a grip on her magic, it kept slipping through her fingers. The red orbs were getting fuzzy, so she did the only thing she could think of.

She called out for Soul. Using the last of her energy, she concentrated, reaching out to his soul, she found it, where she had left him, propped up in the corner.

 _ **“Help…”**_ she thought, before trying to claw the arm off her. Her struggles were getting weaker and weaker.

And then the music exploded in the apartment, causing even the three Kishin eggs to jump. It was a slow, melancholy song. The piano wept, but she could feel him come alive.

And the it happened, as effortlessly as slipping into an old pair of shoes. Soul resonance. Her vision exploded, the figures were clear, she could see arms, legs, torsos, hands.. She could feel their wavelengths outlining their bodies. A vicious kick to her side brought her back to the present..

Damn it hurt.

Gasping for air, she heard a distant crash. She saw him in his human form, beating the life out of one. With the weights off of her, she punched one in the face and scrambled away. Her breathing finally returning to some semblance of normal, and she snuck up behind one of her attackers and snapped his neck in one fell stroke. The last man, the one that she had fought all these years ago, faced them fearfully. He rushed at Soul, got in a good punch, but was thrown across the room. Drywall rained down. He faked left and came straight at her, she hit him with an open palmed strike and shot her soul wavelength through him, blowing him to pieces. The melody died as their resonance faded. She expected her soul perception to go along with it, but it didn't. The images degraded slightly in quality, but she could still make Soul out. She almost cried with happiness. And, to her delight, she could shut it off if she wanted to. Her smile faded as she turned her attention to him.

 _ **“Thanks for the save.”**_ He shuffled around nervously. _**“It’s cool. No problem.”**_ She couldn't see his nose bleeding..

Then she realized what he was wearing, or rather wasn't wearing. She squeaked and ran into her room to change. She emerged with a pair of pants to see Soul surveying her apartment.

 _ **“You can stay with me if you want, your place is pretty trashed,**_ ” he said it so nonchalantly, but with such force she was taken aback. It seemed to be customary for weapons and meisters to live together

 _ **“Yeah, I guess it is. Just, ah, just gimme a sec.”** _ she emerged a few minutes later with just her cloak on and two sacks. Her staff was in her hand. _ **“These are your’s”**_ she said as she walked out of the apartment, handing him the smaller of the two sacks.

It was filled with souls.


	12. And For His Next Trick- Will Soul Be Able To Solve His Mysterious Meister?

They stood awkwardly side by side in the apartment, all earlier signs of joking gone.

_**“You can, um, pick whichever room you want.”** _ he mumbled before disappearing into his room. Everything was bathed in a pale blue or light orange light. In front of her stretched a living room, with large windows taking up almost the entire left wall. Chairs surrounded a coffee table, one of which was turned towards some sort of set. A t.v perhaps, or maybe even a stereo. To her right was a kitchen, with a door leading to Sou’s room. The remnants of his wavelength told her that was where he spent most of his time in the apartment. There was a chair in the living room, slightly turned, not facing anything in particular. Leading off of the kitchen was a hallway with four doors. One turned out to be coat closet, and a second a bathroom. Adjacent to the bathroom was a rather pale orange door. As she stepped up to it, she realized that it must have been his old meisters room. Backing away as though she had discovered a dangerous snake, she walked further down the hall and stood in front of the right hand side door.  She found that the knob turned easily in her hand, the onset of various colors telling her that it was normally a guest bedroom. She supposed it was hers for now. There was a small bed pushed up against a window with a ledge. It would make a good place to sit on sleepless nights. A small night table held a lamp, not like she would need one she thought wryly. Across the room was a chest of drawers, with just enough space next to it to put the trunk Kerry had sent her. To the right of the chest was another bathroom, and she let out a sigh of relief that she didn't even know she was holding.

Even though she couldn't see, she had taken enough sharp barbs from Ana to know she wasn't pretty. She had ugly scar across one of her _ **‘freako eyes'**_ Thirteen had always known it was there, spanning from just underneath the edge of her eyebrow, ending just before it met her nose underneath the inner corner of her eye. Kerry had told her, in nicer terms, that her back injury, courtesy of Arachnophobia, had scarred, badly. Unlike the one on her eye, this one pained her from time to time, especially on cold nights. Ana had taken to calling her _ **'stick bug'**_ in the last few weeks of their travels, her being too tired to eat. Sleep had been more important than food. She knew she was thin. Hopefully sometime at the academy with a regular food source and she would fill out a bit. Thirteen didn't want to explain all that to Soul, or answer the subsequent questions arising from a chance bathroom encounter In the weak sunlight filtering through the window, she began to unpack again.

A little while later, as she sat on the window ledge, rubbing her eyes, thankful she could finally take the glasses off, there was a knock at her door.

_**“Come in.”**_ she called out. The door opened and Soul walked in, carrying some food. Her stomach growled, but he said nothing as he came over and handed her a bowl. He sat next to her in silence. Sniffing delicately, she figured out that it was Chinese food from the place down the street.

He sat in his room in silence for a long time, staring off into the distance. Eventually, the sound of his growling stomach forced him up and out. He didn't see or hear Thirteen, so he assumed she was in her new room. He let out a huff of air when he saw Maka’s room was still closed. She must have taken the guest bedroom. Returning about half an hour later, the place was still quiet. Offering a bowl of food as a welcoming gift seemed good enough for him. She allowed him in with a low _ **“Come in.”**_

It didn't look all that different, but Thirteen seemed to have put a few of her own personal touches onto it. There was a small scythe replica next to her bed, blade black, and haft an obnoxious yellow. There was a weird design on it, but it was too small for him to make out. A trunk was next to the chest of drawers, and the bathroom door was slightly ajar. He saw her, sitting on the windowsill, pale light illuminating her face. Her customary glasses were back on, her face looked tired. He could see the edge of what he assumed to be a scar peaking out from the bottom edge of her glasses. Soul decided not to try and ask her about it, she was probably insecure. They ate in relative silence, broken by a few, shallow questions. Eventually, she apologized to him, _**“I’m sorry about what I said the other day, about the music thing.”**_

**_“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”_ **

**_“Why did… why did it bother you so much?”_ **

_**“Music was a big part of my life, it isn't anymore. Or it wasn't rather.”** _

_**“Oh.”** _

_**“What's with the glasses.”** _ he cursed at himself as he saw stiffen ever so slightly. His temper had gotten the best of him, and he’d done the thing he purposely said he wouldn't do.

_**“It’s just a scar, and it's pretty gruesome. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”** _ She was lying, at least about the last part. He could tell, but decided not to say anything about it.

_**“It’s getting pretty late, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”** _

_**“I guess so… “** _

_**“Cool.”** _

He smiled, _ **“Cool.”**_

**↭↭↭↭**

 

Thirteen woke with a start to the sound of Ana’s maniacal laughter resounding in her ears. Fear was all but choking her. Ana’s soul was here, she wasn't dead. It was wrong, all wrong, twisted. It was a Kishin egg, and it was powerful. Her hair was plastered to her face, and the muscles in her back twinged painfully. She tried to stand, but found that her legs were too weak for that. Collapsing on the floor, she dragged herself to the shower and turned on the cold water, giving a small yelp at the freezing temperature. The panic subsided and the black tendrils of fear retracted. She was shaking as she stripped and changed the water temperature. She needed the heat. It was early, three in the morning, the feeling in the pit of her stomach told her it was true. Three a.,m was the time when evil walked. Ana had done something stupid, and now she was at the mercy of whatever force had taken her. Thirteen couldn't believe that Ana would have done it deliberately, no one in their right mind would have signed their soul away deliberately. Eventually she shut the water off and padded into her room, furiously towel drying her hair. Soon, the towel was sopping wet, and she quickly dried it with a blast of hot air. Her hair stuck to her back, still wet tendrils hanging past her hips. She sat for a while, meditating and turning around the small sculpture in her hands. She heard Soul get up, and decided to start getting dressed. Still unfamiliar with her room, she banged her legs several times. Hopping around, rubbing the abused area, she eventually found her clothes. Sweater, jeans, and her cloak because it was freezing outside. Walking into the kitchen, she hovered over the threshold, uncertain of where to go.

_**“Well are you going to come in? I don’t bite, it’s so not cool.”** _ She came in and leaned on the counter, listening to Soul fidget around.

_**“Yes..”** _

_**“We can split cooking duty if you want. Lord Death has people come in every two weeks to clean.”** _

_**“Yeah. I can take the even days.”** _

Soul smirked, _**“Why even?”**_

_**“I like even days better.”** _

He shook his head and chuckled, _**“You like even days but your name's Thirteen.. Strange, but cool. Let's go,”** _ he said as he pushed himself away from the table, _**“We’ll be late.”**_

They walked side by side on the deserted sidewalk. She had turned on her soul perception as soon as they had left his apartment. After a few minutes of silence, she ventured a question. _**“How long have you been going to the DWMA?”**_

_**“This is my third year. It’s the beginning to two-star meister training.”** _

_**“And how long is  two-star meister training.”** _

_**“Four years, but depending on how well the meister and weapon work together, it could be less.”** _

_**“And um, what happens if a weapon-meister team doesn't advance in four years?”** _

_**“Then they just stay two star meisters.”** _

_**“Oh.”** _

The lapsed into silence until they reached the front steps of the school.

He had sworn he saw her ears perk up as he struggled to ask that question. He dismissed it as his imagination. He hadn't slept well the night before, waking up at about three am, uneasy feeling in his stomach. Almost three years without a meister had left Soul to be wielded by a number of different teachers and students so he could stay in the class. They could never hold him for long without receiving severe burns all over their hands. No one’s soul had been able to synchronize with his properly. The only one who could use him for any extended period of time was Professor Stein, and even he was tired of the burns. That was why Soul was no closer to becoming a death scythe than he had been when Maka was alive. Well no, that was a lie. In their first few weeks of being partners, Soul’s 22 souls had jumped to 40. It was impressive, at least to him. He glanced down at her hands again, still no burns, they were fine. Even Maka had needed gloves. As they walked to class, he realized he didn't really know all that much about her.

_**“Where were you before you came here?”** _ he saw her stiffen, a pained looked crossed her face.

_**“Just around. You know.”** _

_**“You weren't at an academy branch?”**   _he asked, surprised. Thirteen seemed like the kind of meister that would have been an asset to whatever academy branch she had been nearest to.

_**“No. They didn't want me there. I trained separately.”** _

_**“Oh. Why wouldn't they let you enroll?”** _

_**“They just didn't want someone like me around.”** _

**“Huh.”** he snorted, unable to comprehend why they wouldn't a meister when the DWMA was in such great need. He was about to ask her exactly what she had been doing, but caught sight of his friends in the distance. He had a feeling that the conversation would be best held in private. He heard his meister take a small breath and saw her go pale out of the corner of his eye. She was starting right at Crona, although with her glasses it was kind of hard to tell what she was looking at, or thinking for that matter. Despite the fact that Crona’s soul was an odd one, especially to someone who had never seen it before, he doubted it was because of that. He chose to ignore it, if it got really bad, they would sort it out later.


	13. Into The Woods-Is There Magic In Resonance?

He was here, Medusa’s other experiment, it was Crona. Did he recognize her? Probably not, they had both been pretty young when she had left. Besides, Crona never seemed to remember much of his actions when he was underneath the influence of the madness. In those days, Crona had always been mad. She felt her face drain of color and willed herself to get a grip. No one could know who she was, not yet at least. She didn't want to disappoint Kerry by returning home empty handed and worse off than when she had left.

_**“Hey Crona!”** _ Soul greeted. **“Whats up.”**

_**“Oh nothing much. Hello.”** _ he greeted her. Thirteen swallowed her unease and smiled at him, hoping it didn't look like snarl.

_**“Its nice to meet you.”**_ again she added silently in her head. Crona’s extended hand pulled back before she could shake it, the sound of ripping fabric echoed quietly as Ragnarok made his presence known. If there was someone who remembered her, it was Ragnarok. _**“Hey, don’t forget about me. Whats this?”**_ her staff was snatched out of her hands. The sound of fighting told her that Crona was trying to get it back for her, but failing miserably. The protests of the rest of the group filtered in, with a muttered _**“asshole”**_ from Liz. Soul was losing his temper, so Thirteen stepped in before he accidentally hurt Crona.  

_**“Could you give that back please?”**_ she asked politely, remembering that Ragnarok hated being ordered around.

_**“Why should I witch?”**_ the entire hall was silent. _**“You better watch your mouth…"**_ Soul began, walking up to Crona menacingly. Thirteen placed a hand on his chest.

_**“Give it back.”** _

_**“Alright. Look it here, nope, its over here. Now it over here…”** _ The demon sword was waving her staff around above her head, acting like a bully in elementary school.

_**“Looks like you can’t get it you bli… “**_ her patience snapped. She didn't move, but rather unleashed her magic, immobilizing him, making her staff fall to the ground. She saw Black Star pick it up.

_**“You would do well not to mention that we know one another demon sword. And you should do your research better, I’m a druid, not a witch. A weapon s old as you should know the difference.”** _ Thirteen didn't say this out loud, rather implanted the thought in his head. His wavelength rebelled, and then flickered in fear. She didn't know why, nor did she care to learn the answer. Turning to Crona, _ **“I’m sorry… “** _  her apology was cut off by the sound of everyone’s laughter, even Crona’s.

_**“No one has ever been able to put Ragnarok in his place like that before! I don;t know how to deal with this.”** _ Thirteen couldn't help the dark thought of “except Medusa” crossing her mind. But she laughed along with them.

Kid was standing next to Black Star, studying the staff and the carvings all over it. _**“What does it do exactly. I've never seen anything like it before.”**_

_**“Is it a weapon?”**_ Black Star cut him off, earning him a frustrated look from Kid. She felt naked without it, but knew she wouldn't get it back until she explained at least a little.

_**“You could use it as a weapon, but it’s more like a soul magnifier. It increases my soul perception and lets me shoot my wavelength out. Its kind of like a substitute weapon in its most basic form. You can’t resonate with it, so higher level techniques are impossible, but it has its uses.”**_ It also helped her channel her powers and could be used to store energy, which could be accessed during a fight. But they didn't need to know that.

_**“Awesome! Can I try.”** _

_**“I wouldn't suggest…. “** _

But of course the assassin didn't listen, and shot his soul wavelength into the staff, which promptly blew him across the room. Thirteen grabbed her staff off the ground. Black Star came out, rubbing his head. Kid was impressed.

_**“You did this yourself?”** _

_**“Yes, that's why its attuned to my wavelength, anyone else uses it and that happens.”** _

That meant she was powerful, someone that he didn't want as an enemy.

_**“Alright alright, now that we are done watching Black Star break stuff, can we go? We are going to be late.”** _ Liz reminded them. Soul and Thirteen stayed silent as they filed into the classroom to see everyone standing in a semicircle around Professor Stein.

_**“I think that we are going outside again for that technique.”**_ Kid mused. Crona had left for his own class, he was still a one star meister, only recently able to control Ragnarok in battle.

_**“We are waiting for a couple more stragglers, but you will be running an obstacle course today. You will need to resonance link in order to make it through. Make your way to the forest.”** _

She filed out with the rest of the class and fell into step beside Tsubaki. She felt something evil slither by and recoiled, earning her an odd look from the kind girl.

_**“Something wrong?”**_ she asked.

_**“No. Must have been my imagination.”**_  she lied. As they stepped past the tree line, she instantly felt better, calmer. Their group was to be the last to go, it was Professor Stein’s way of giving them a chance to practice their resonance link. A flash of pink and Liz and Patti were in their weapon forms. Tsubaki changed in a calm glow of yellow light. Thirteen grabbed Soul, the haft of the scythe warm in her cold hands. The weapon shivered **_“Jeez, why are your hands so cold?”_ **  he muttered before fading into silence. She realized the Soul had a strong fire affinity in his soul, ironic when paired with her water one.

Kid watched the new partners interacting. She was much quieter than Maka, but wiser. He had the feeling she was not the type of just charge blindly into a battle, as Maka had been fond of doing. There was something else about her, there was something hidden. He stared harder at her soul, and turned his head when her sunglass covered eyes met his. Kid hadn't gotten a good look at Soul since that last fight, he had changed, The haft the scythe was black, while the blade had gotten longer and sharper. The eye at the top had stayed the same, but the design  on the blade was different. What used to be red and now silver, and the jagged line that divided them a deep red. Kid stepped out, the unofficial new leader of the group, a position he did not particularly enjoy, but carried out to the best of his abilities.

_**“Alright everyone, Resonance Link!”** _

Thirteen stood apart from Black Star and Kid, watching as their souls linked up perfectly. There is something to be said for experience. Thirteen took a breath, _**“It’s now or never.”** _ she muttered. She could see each of their souls clearly, Kid’s had the Sanzu lines, connected with two hot pink orbs. Black Star’s was in the shape of a star, bright blue, larger, but not overshadowing Tsubaki’s yellow one. Soul’s was a comforting presence beside her, the soft blue glow with pointed teeth and a sad smile. She reached forward into the giant resonance orb they had created and synced up with them.

Her soul was huge, the power coming off of it like nothing Kid had ever seen. As soon as they had asked her to link up, it had exploded up and out, enveloping everything around them. He was strangely unafraid. He looked over at Black Star and found the assassin’s eyed stretched wide. The energy flowing through them was invigorating.

Thirteen’s soul was a weird place. He guessed the soul resonance combined with the resonance link must have opened her soul up to him. He walked around in the grass, which by the way was greener than anything he had ever seen before. There was a whole section just closed off, chained and locked. But other than there, the whole place was just a peaceful glen. There was a stream bubbling and a fire crackling happily next to it. A soft breeze ruffled his hair, and birdsong floated through his ears. He was suddenly yanked back into his own body by a current so powerful it made him giddy. His soul felt like it was being soothed, like the giant hole Maka had left wasn't as raw as it had been. It felt, amazing. Everyone seemed to feel the same way. Kid allowed the resonance to break, and Soul wanted to kill him.

Kid looked at Thirteen and couldn't keep back his elation. _**“I've never been able to resonate so easily before!”**_

_**“WE ARE SO GONNA WIN** **!”** _

The weapons all transformed back and the six of them resumed the exalted cheering Black Star had started. Thirteen hung back, a small, sad smile on her face. Soul went over to her, unsure how to close the awkward distance between them.

_**“Something wrong?”** _

_**“Just feeling a little guilty.”** _

_**“Why?”** _

She didn't respond right away, unsure to put the feeling she had into words. Resonance had never been easy with Ana, it had been a constant struggle with her, and this had been, easy, pleasant even.

_**“It was just, different.”** _

_**“Yeah, it was.”**_ They trailed off into a tense silence, neither knew how to break it.

_**“Alright, we’re next, you may as well all change now.”** _

She balanced the scythe across her shoulders, blade dangerously close to her knee. Kid looked on warily, unable to understand how someone could fight with that. It was so large, and cumbersome, and asymmetrical.

Ox walked out with his team, and snorted contemptuously when he saw them. He bumped rudely into her, and she felt Soul heat up in her hands. She didn't see the dirty look Black Star shot him.

_**“Good luck, you’ll need i** **t.”** _

Black Star’s soul flashed angrily and he turned to Kid, who nodded.

_**“Alright team. Resonance Link.”** _

The reaper’s son and the assassin’s souls exploded with pent up resentment and excitement. Thirteen allowed her own soul to weave into their connection, forging an even stronger bond. She could hear to sound of a piano playing, and heard Kid say

_**“Finally, Soul is back.”** _

With an elated whoop, the trio flung themselves into the forest, perfectly in sync with each other and to the tempo of Soul’s playing.

It felt weird to be on the piano again in this room, without Maka and the little demon in his ear. But the cool smoothness of the keys was a comfort he hadn't known he had missed, and the music just poured out of him.

_**“Alright Thirteen, you take the front, Black Star and I will cover the back.”** _

Black Star took his defensive position miraculously without complaint, his desire to crush Ox greater than his need to be the center of attention. They sped through the course, Thirteen flushing out the opponents so that they could all defeat them. The professors had even managed to find a golem. The team was so in sync that even without Soul’s playing, the could almost predict each others movements, making for a flawless run with the fastest time in the class.

**_“YAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOO!”_ ** sent the birds flying. Thirteen couldn't help but laugh with them. She heard a twig crack behind them.

_**“Kid. Black Star. We have some company.”**_ The happiness quickly evaporated from the air. Thirteen brace her weapon against the ground, leaning into it. The haft dug into her shoulders, keeping her alert. Kid and Black Star adopted her relaxed pose. The air was charged with electricity, she could feel it every time she took a breath.

Ox and his team trampled through the forest, but there was something off about their wavelengths. It seemed to be emanating from Ox. Thirteen felt the blood drain from her face. It was madness.

_**“Kid.”**_ she whispered. ** _“look at Ox.”_**

**“It’s madness.”**


	14. Progress And Pain-Can One Exist Without The Other?

There were no teachers to be sensed. They were on their own. Meister against meister. The other team attacked first, causing them to break formation. Thirteen swung Soul up to block Ox’s attack. His weapon shot electricity out of the tip. She blocked again with the blade.

_**“Black Star! Watch out!”**_ Kid warned.

_**“Kilik! Behind you!”**   _The assassin, in a flurry of quick jabs, he managed to knock both Kim and Jackie out cold. But in the midst of his celebration, Killik shot out a stream of fire, burning his hands. He dropped his weapon, and raced in anger towards him as Kid fended off his other attack. There was a faint _**“Black Star Big Wave!”**_ before both meisters collapsed. Black Star’s soul wavelength disappeared from the link Kid raced over to help Thirteen, who was caught in a blocking match with Ox. Ox knocked Patti out of Kid’s hand, immediately sending him into a panicked flurry, letting Ox smash him in the back of the head. His soul also disappeared from the link. It was just her and Soul.

_**“What the hell Ox? Just calm down. This is so not cool.”**_ he questioned angrily.

_**“I am the most powerful meister here! She is NOT going to take that away from me!”** _

He lunged at her again, Thirteen barely reacted in time to bock. She had been hoping that the madness would dissipate, or at least weaken, but if anything it had gotten stronger. Normal moves like Witch Hunter weren't going to work on him, not when he was in this state. The music had intensified, the calming tune a comical contrast to the fight occurring. Ox attacked again, Thirteen crouched down and whirled around, ending up behind the crazed boy. He was upper body intensive, her never used his legs, they were there to ground him and not much else. His attacks were wide and arcing, leaving plenty of room for swift jabs. She used his momentum against him, using Soul’s blade to grab the shaft of his weapon and flip them over. Ox gasped for air and the wind was knocked out of him. He managed to get up fairly quickly, but Thirteen didn't give him a chance to fully recover. She rushed at him, and hoped Soul wouldn't freak out. She hadn't told him about her being a druid, or what that entailed for her specialized moves.

_**“Inferno.”**_ she said quietly as the scythe blade exploded into flames. She feinted left and spun around in the last second, swiping his feet out from under him and pointing the flaming blade into his face, inches from his neck.

Everything went quiet as the teaches rushed into the glen, even Soul’s piano playing. Thirteen didn't move from her position, unwilling to let the unstable meister have any freedom until they were sure he was alright. An angry hiss sounded as Professor Stein called out, _**“What happened?”**_

Thirteen’s concentration broke for half a second, and in the second, Ox pushed her off of him and delivered a vicious kick to her back. She felt Soul change, the sound of bodies hitting the ground told her that he knocked Ox and Havar out. He crouched next to her and helped her up, the pain shooting across her scar. She rubbed it furiously with her hand, trying not to make any pained sounds. Tsubaki was putting a burn cream on Black Star’s hands, while Kid carried Kim as Patti and Liz supported Jacqueline between them. Mifune and Ms. Marie were trying to get Kilik to come back around, his weapon partners hovering worriedly around him. Thirteen turned stiffly in Professor Stein’s direction and simply answered,

_**“It was madness.”** _

Thirteen grasped her staff and began a slow, pained walk back to the academy, Soul accompanying her.

 

↭↭↭↭

 

_**“Here.”** _ he pressed a cloth to her face. **“He managed to get you.”** Her fingers brushed his, and he jerked his hand away. She kept the cloth pressed firmly to her face as they walked back to his apartment. She could feel the anger and frustration radiating of of him.

_**“I’m sorry.”** _ she said, unsure of what else she could say. Soul made a confused noise and then sighed.

_**“It’s not you, its me… I mean… like… ugh.”**_ She put a little more distance between them and left the conversation at that.

He was such an idiot. That stuttering, that babbling, so uncool. She was his meister for Death’s sake, if he couldn't talk to her normally, how the hell were they ever going to get along in battle? Why was it so hard to talk to her and not to all those other girls? He glanced at the cut on her face, anger flaring up once again. Damn Ox, always letting his ambition get the better of him. He walked up the steps, and unlocked to door

He turned the key and made a vague motion at the kitchen table. She sat and stiffened as he passed alcohol over it. The sound of a fist hitting the table made her jump, Soul was already across the room, staring angrily out of the window.

_**“By my count, that;s the second time I've let you get hurt in battle.”** _

_**“It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”** _

_**“THAT’S NOT THE POINT! Weapon’s are supposed to protect their meister’s, why the hell can’t I protect mine.”** _

_**“It wasn't your fault.”**_   she tried to reassure him, but it fell on deaf ears..

_**“It was my fault. I was supposed to keep her safe. She’s dead because of me. Because I wasn't strong enough. And I’m still not strong enough.”** _

That was when her temper sparked. The chair scraped the ground and clattered to the ground. She stood toe to toe with him, staring defiantly into his face.

_**“Is that what you honestly think? That is it solely the weapon’s job to protect the meister? Where the hell did these outdated notions come from? We are partners you fool, its a meister’s job to protect their weapon just as much as it it a weapon’s to protect its meister.”** _ She stood there, breathing hard for a few seconds before she heard his quiet response.

_**“But she dead.”** _

She was still angry, or she wouldn't have said what she said.

_**“So what! At least your partner didn't leave you! At least she didn't willingly let you go. She left me here alone! In the dark! All alone in the dark...”** _

They stared at each other for a few seconds, both unsure of what to do next. She was the first to move, the first to turn away. She moved slowly down the hall to her room, but then stopped and turned. Thirteen turned her head,

_**“She’s still here you know. I can see her. She’s in that room you keep locked up so tight. She’s still with you Soul.”** _ she turned away. As she walked into her room she muttered, _**“She didn't leave you.”** _ As she sat in her room, she allowed all of those feelings she kept locked away to overtake her. Ana had made her choice, darkness over the light, and Thirteen was afraid what the consequences of that choice would be.

 

↭↭↭↭

 

In class the day after, they had met a cheerful Black Star, who promptly informed them that they had the fastest time and the best run out of the entire class. That cheered both of them up a little bit, and by the end of the day, all of the tension had dissipated. Ox Ford had snorted continuously throughout class, sending the entire group into a fit of giggles every time they heard him. The hilarity was only furthered with Kid freaking out about how their time wasn't symmetrical. Three weeks later, Soul and Thirteen had fallen into a comfortable routine. That uncomfortable confrontation after that obstacle course run had paved the way for a less tense cohabitation. She had found the beginnings of a close friendship with Tsubaki and Kid. He was the only one in the group that knew and understood her druid status. Soul knew she was different, but hadn't asked and she wasn't willing to volunteer that information. She did, however, delight in tormenting Kid with uneven plant growth in his home. Tsubaki and Thirteen could spend hours together in companionable silence, drinking tea, or Thirteen’s new obsession, frozen coffee. Soul though she was insane and frequently made fun of her. In order to catch up with the rest if the class, she and Soul trained separately after school either alone or with Professor Stein and Mifune. Thirteen had gotten the all clear to join in on the sparring class, and excelled. The extra classes during the week plus her private lessons with Mifune had paid off, and her fighting not only returned to the level it once was, but improved. She soon gained notoriety for exploiting whatever weakness her enemy had. It was during one of these after school sessions that Professor Stein approached them. Soul changed back in a flash of blue light.

_**“Good afternoon Professor.”** _

_**“Good afternoon Thirteen. We have a mission for you.”** _

_**“A mission? Aren't those usually posted on the wall?”**   _Soul asked, wiping sweat off his brow. They had been practicing fire based techniques and, for once, it was he who was hot.

_**“Lord Death wanted you two specifically.”** _

_**“Cool”**_ he grinned. Glancing at his meister, he saw her eyebrows slightly raised in interest. He was getting better and better at reading her facial expressions around her glasses.


	15. Castle Ruins, Murder, And Misfortune-What Will They Find Inside?

_**“I don’t know how I let you talk me on to this moving death trap!”**_ Thirteen hissed in his ear as Soul tore through the streets.

_**“Hey. don’t talk about her that way. It hurts her feelings.”** _  he retorted, patting the motorcycle lovingly. As he pressed the gas, she tightened her grip on his torso and buried her head into his shoulder, hair and cloak streaming behind her. She was going to leave it, but something had told her to take it. She was glad she had, the wind was chilling.

_**“So where are we going exactly.”**_ he asked after a few moments of silence. She rolled her eyes.

_**“Do you never pay attention?”** _

_**“Not when I can help it.”**_ She sighed and tried to hide her smile, and failed.

_**“We have to get to Crete to investigate the disappearances there. Young men and women are going missing. No one knows, or wants to talk about, how or why.”** _

_**“So basically we have to find it, kill it, and get the people back.”** _

_**“Well when you put it that way….”**_  but Soul chose that exact moment to go even faster, her words lost in the wind. There was something familiar about this whole situation, but Thirteen couldn’t pinpoint it, she was too busy trying not to fall off Soul’s damn motorcycle.

She was going to kill him if she ever got off of this thing alive.

She had the full intention of yelling at Soul as soon as she got off the bike, but as soon as her feet touched to ground, she knew that there was something very, very wrong with the island. The beast she had gotten so good at controlling stirred. The skeletons in her closet rattled their chains, ready to escape. Memories of darker times resurfaced, she felt ill. The feeling was familiar, she had lived with it for the first thirteen years of her life.

There was a witch here, and she was the cause of whatever was happening here. Soul looked at her with a slightly worried expression.

_**“You alright 13? You look a little pale.”** _ Her normally cinnamon colored skin had an unnatural pallor to it.

_**“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just trying to recover from that death trap.”** _ she joked in a weak voice, unwilling to alarm him.There was the teeny tiny, minuscule chance that she was wrong. But it was very very small. They walked into the strangely silent town. It was the middle of the day, yet no children were playing in the streets, no lively banter between the vendors, none of the usual sounds that went along with a prospering area such as this one. All that you could hear were hushed voices and shuffling feet.

_**“Everyone is in mourning colors.”**_ he whispered in her ear. She nodded, the deep blue souls were all small and sad, even afraid. She concentrated harder, trying to find anything wrong with the human souls in front of her. The unbroken sea of blue was different that her weapon’s soul, but nothing alarming. She realized that all of the weapon and meister’s souls had an extra glow to them, these human souls looked almost dull in comparison.

_**“It’s a good thing we don’t stand out.”** _ she murmured back. Thirteen looked right at home here with her black cloak and black jeans. Soul blended in fairly well, his dark expression making up for his shock of white hair. He fidgeted nervously as he thought about the bright orange shirt he had on underneath. Why today of all days did he have have to wear this shirt?

_**“W-w-who are you people?”**_ a quavering voice accused. Thirteen turned to face him. This man was frightened and angry.

_**“We are from the DWMA. We were sent to investigate what is happening here.”**_ she replied calmly and quietly.

_**“Happening?”**_ came the panicked remark. **_“N-n-nothing is happening here. What are you talking about?”_**

_**“If nothing is happening here, why have we had so many reports of disappearances? Why is everyone around here dressing in mourning clothes? I find it very hard to believe, sir, that everyone here has a lost a family member at the exact same time if not by unnatural means.”**_ her quiet rebuttals only agitated him more.

_**“J-just shut up!”**_ Before Thirteen had a chance to react, Soul was there, blocking the man’s frenzied attack. “ _ **Hitting a girl is so not cool. I’d consider the consequences before hitting this one.**_ ” he smirked, making sure everyone could see his teeth.

_**“So is anyone going to tell me what has been happening around here?”** _

Silence.

_**“No? Fine then.”**_ She turned and began to walk in the direction of the dark presence on the island. Soul followed her towards the ruins of a castle. He had learned to trust meister’s, they always seemed to know where they were going, no matter where they were. The closer and closer the got to the ruins, the more and more agitated she became. About halfway there, Thirteen stopped and held out her hand, he obliged her and changed into weapon form. She stood there for a few seconds, scythe balanced across her shoulders. The familiar weight as comforting, and it grounded her. The closer she got to that source, the worse her control became. She hadn’t been this close to an evil witch since Medusa, and her tolerance had gone down significantly over the last few years. With every step, her grip on her weapon partner tightened, and the tighter it got, the more concerned he became. Thirteen wasn’t the type of show that something was bothering her, she was even less of the type ot let it get to her, whatever she knew, she wasn’t telling him, and it was bothering her to no end.

_**“You sure you alright Thirteen?”** _

_**“Yeah. fine.”**_ she answered in a clipped tone that was so unlike her. Her skin felt alive, it was crawling with magic, desperate to escape. She could feel it pulsating through her, making it hard to think. Thirteen felt her nails lengthening into claws, she felt her reason slipping away, relying more and more on instinct to get her to wherever she was going. She shuddered, and Soul was next to her.

**_“We’re almost there and the sun is setting. We can pick it up again tomorrow early. Let’s just stay here tonight.”_** He was firm on this, He was not going to let her go any farther, she looked terrible, like someone just starting to recover from a terrible illness.

Thirteen didn’t try to argue. Soul managed to start a fire and was soon snoring.

Sleep didn't come as easily for her. Thirteen allowed the crackling of the fire to serve as the backdrop for the flood of memories getting ready to drown her. They came in waves, the first of immense pain, her eyes felt as though they were being both burned and gouged out, ripped out with acid being poured in their place.

_**“In order to blindly follow her master…”**_ the sinister laugh, the sound of skin sliding against skin.

Snakes.

There had been so many years of pain and blood. She remembered the blood. She had reveled in the blood. Bathed in it. She’d been a mindless beast, doing her master’s bidding.

And then Kerry had saved her, pulled her out, gotten her away. Life had been good. But then she messed up.

Where had she gone wrong?

Thirteen shook her head and placed it on the ground, determined to try and get a little bit of sleep.

He woke up comfortably warm. So warn that he really didn't want to get up even though the ground was hard and unforgiving. As he woke up a little more, he realized why he was so warm. Soul was curled around his meister in a not so appropriate way. He felt the stirrings of a nosebleed and quickly scuttled away.

_**“What the hell…”**_ he muttered, putting a hand to his nose. It’s not like he was inexperienced with girls, for Death’s sake he hasn't had a nosebleed in at least two years. After the initial shock had worn off, he’d tried girls, tried to use the to get his mind off of the pain. All it had done was make him feel guilty. He watched her in the half morning light. With a start he realized she was pretty, smooth skin, thick black eyelashes so thick that they looked like a doll’s. They cast long shadows over high, defined cheekbones. There was a scar over her left eye, and the cut from that fight with Ox had finally healed. Wait, what? Soul’s eyes latched onto the scar, and began to wonder about the eyes underneath. He had never seen her eyes, he didn't even know what color they were. He sided closer, the scar sliced through the tip of her eyebrow and ended just under the inner corner of her eye. He had the overwhelming urge to touch it. His fingers hovered over it, almost brushing it…

And then she woke up. Soul saw her stiffen, and froze.

_**“Can I help you with something?”**_ Thirteen’s normally calm voice was strained and acidic. Soul jerked his hand back and watched her sit up, eyes still closed, and put her glasses on.

_**“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the dirt floor”**_ he quipped, trying to erase previous events. She didn't reply, merely grunted and stood up, holding out her hand. He fought with himself, she still didn't look good, but by the set of her face she was going to go in there, with or without him. He changed and tried to fight the foreboding feeling coming from the castle.

The nights rest had helped a little, but not a lot. She could still feel her control wavering with every step she took. Thankfully, Soul hadn't argued with her this morning. She felt bad about how she had treated him, but it was either that or rip his throat out, she had a strong desire to avoid the latter by whatever means necessary. As Thirteen stepped through the threshold of the castle ruins, she was assaulted by the stench of death and sewage.

_**“God that stinks”**_ her weapon choked out. She just gagged, her footsteps echoing wetly as she continued forward. She was wading through puddles of blood, the coppery scent filling the air.

Something bellowed from deep within, the walls vibrated menacingly, filled with rage and blood lust. She could feel it on her skin. She felt dirty, tainted. Every cell in her body was telling her to turn and run, but she had to complete the mission. Thirteen pushed on, gripping her weapon tighter for reassurance.

_**“What do you see Soul?”** _ she whispered. He didn’t answer right away, but when he did, she could detect the slightest trace of fear.

_**“Nothing. Nothing but death.”**_  

Suddenly, a crash sounded behind them. Thirteen whirled around to face the threat. She sensed something coming straight towards them and dodged, swing Soul up into a guard position. Thirteen felt the blood drain out of her face and she got a good look at what they were facing. Two souls, messily stitched together towered before her. One was a bull, and one was a man.

And it was almost a Kishin.

_**“Excuse me? HELLO! I’m offended that you don’t see me.”**_ The voice emanating from this thing was all wrong. It was high pitched a whiney, it hurt her ears. It’s laugher screeched out a frequency that made Thirteen drop to her knees.

**“It’s time for me to eat you, even if you are a scrawny little thing.”**


	16. The Minotaur's Labyrinth-Where On Earth Is That String!?!

It was verifiably the ugliest thing Soul had ever seen. It was grotesque, like a particularly twisted child had been allowed to run free in a Halloween store. A bull’s head perched atop the scrawny torso of a man with hands that were far too large for it. Its legs were a bull’s legs, its horns curved to deadly points on top of its head, adding a good two or three feet it it already impressive height. In the half light if the ruins, Soul couldn't tell what its hair color was originally, but it was matted with blood. And when it smiled, it revealed rows of wickedly sharp teeth, belonging to neither man nor beast. How the hell were they supposed to be able to beat this thing? How the hell was anyone supposed to survive this? This was a mission for an experienced two-star meister, maybe even a three-star meister. What the hell were they doing here? Soul was giddy with adrenaline, unafraid even though he knew there was very good chance that they would not survive this.

_**“It’s time for me to eat you, even if you are a scrawny little thing.”** _

It struck quickly, the fingers and nails on its hand coming straight at them at an alarming rate. Thirteen barely managed to block it, the nail scraping loudly against the blade. He winced, that had actually hurt. The thing managed to trip her and disappeared into the ruins, laughing wildly.

**_“Let's play a little game shall we?_** ” it’s voice echoing off the walls. She was breathing heavy. Soul was unused to seeing his normally strong meister look so defeated. Nothing ever got to her.

**_“That thing didn't get you did it?”_ **

She didn't answer his question.

_**“Dammit Thirteen. Answer…”** _

_**“We’re in the Minotaur's Labyrinth.”** _

_**“The minne-what’s lab?”** _

She didn't sigh or tell him tell him to pay attention more like she normally did. Instead, she used him as a support pole to push herself up off the disgusting ground. She was quiet for a few more seconds.

**_“The ancient Greeks, or rather those on Crete, came up with the legend of the Minotaur to hide the fact that their queen was actually a witch.”_ ** The last seemed as though it was ripped from her throat. _ **“A Minotaur is a beast that is half man, half bull, all monster and feeds exclusively on human flesh. They say it went into a deep sleep after its creator, the witch Pasiphae, was killed in order to make a death scythe. Someone had awakened the Minotaur.”**_

_**“So lets find it.”** _

_**“The Minotaur had lived in the labyrinth for centuries.”** _ She didn't have to add that fact that they had just gotten here. It was a sobering thing for a weapon to know that not even it’s meister thought that they were going to survive this. Another boom sounded, and he saw her relax.

Maybe they could get through this after all.

The witch was gone, and Thirteen could feel her control coming back. The beast was back in its cage, and all was well in that department for now at least. She could finally think clearly, which was a bonus, because they desperately needed a plan. Plan A: she could go out into the labyrinth looking for the Minotaur and put them both at risk. It knew the maze better than they ever could, that option was basically signing their death sentences. Plan B: wait the monster out here, but then they were sitting ducks. It would probably wait until they were too weak to defend themselves and attack. Plan C: was probably the riskiest out of the three, but gave them the best chance of survival. If she could manage to find a room, the legends say that the maze was interspersed with rooms, if she could get into one and lead the Minotaur in there, she just might be able to do some damage.

_**“Ready Soul.”** _

_**“Yeah. Ready”** _

**_“OK. Soul resonance.”_** The song was erratic, but evenly paced, he was afraid, but not so much so that he couldn't keep his head. She channeled her soul wavelength into him and smashed the base of the scythe against the ground, shooting the wavelength out in all directions. Concentrating hard, she tracked it as it flowed through the maze.

There. A room.

She couldn't sense the Minotaur anywhere. Adjusting the grip on the scythe, she didn't give herself time to think.

She ran.

The beast roared behind her, mere inches away from her. She ran faster, narrowly dodging one of its hand attacks. She raced into the room and took cover behind a large pile of stone. Thirteen tried to calm her erratic breathing and not listen to the monster.

_**“Such a quick little thing.”** _ it screeched. It lumbered to a stop in front of the entrance, blocking all means of escape. Thirteen rolled out of her hiding place and faced it, taking in all of its gruesome glory. Why anyone would want to create something like this was beyond her. It scraped at the ground it a hoofed foot, like a cartoon bull would before charging something. She glanced at Soul, aware that was his observation and not hers. This was an interesting new development in their resonance, one they could practice later if they were alive. Thirteen braced herself as the Minotaur came at her, head lowered. It was pretty fast for such a large, ungainly creature, but it was no where near as fast as she was. Thirteen dodged and swung the scythe, tearing open its ankle. It gave an enraged snort, much like Ox Ford’s, as the stench of its blood filled to room. Old and rancid, it permeated the small space in a matter of seconds.

_**“You know how I said it stunk when we first got in here.”**_ he told her as she parried blows.

“ _ **Yeah”**_ she responded, slightly winded.

_**“I take that back, this REALLY stinks.”**_ he gagged out. She couldn’t help but keep back a quick laugh. The Minotaur was coming at her again with another headbutt, but she miscalculated the strength of the attack, she ended up a dazed pile on the floor. The Minotaur was laughing shrilly, she could faintly hear Soul yelling at her to get up, to get the hell up. Thirteen got wobbly to her feet, vainly trying to clear the fog in her mind. Soul was barely cutting into the nails of the beast. After what felt like an eternity of blocking, her arms were shaking.

**_“Thirteen you have to do something. and fast”_** Soul growled at her.

And then she heard it, she heard her laugh, low and sinister. It filled the air and immobilized her. The Minotaur laughed again.

_**“Got’cha.”** _ it gloated.

_**“Thirteen! THIRTEEN! Goddammit! Answer me! THIRTEEN!”**_ Soul's frantic cries sounded in her ears.

She felt the nails pierce her, felt them rub against bone and each other as they passed through her. Blood poured out of her, she saw the Minotaur’s wavelength become erratic. It licked its fingers noisily and greedily. Thirteen crumpled to the ground and heard the hollow clang of Soul following her. She heard it’s footsteps drawing closer, and her eyes closed.

It’s now or never she thought and she grabbed her weapon. They had practiced basic techniques and a few fire based ones, but nothing more. In order to win this, she was going to have to use a lot more magic, and she didn't know how Soul would take it. Thirteen coughed and wiped away the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She stood, and the Minotaur just panted hungrily, the scent of blood distracting him.

_**“Just give up little girl, it’s dinnertime, and you’re dead!”** _

_**“Not today I’m not.”**_ she retorted and took a shallow breath, allowing the magic to rush through them both. Soul made a confused noise. She felt him heat up in the palms of her hands.

_**“With the earth I ground.”** _

_**“What the…?”** _

_**“With the air I bind.”** _

_**“Hey, wait a minute… “** _

_**“With the water I cleanse.”** _

_**“Why you little…”** _

_**“And with fire I purify.”** _

She heard Soul mutter, ** _“ I cleanse this soul with the inferno.”_** and sprang at the Minotaur. His blade managed to cut through its pelt, but not much else. Thirteen channeled more magic into Soul. She could hear him yelling in the background in his effort to channel everything into this attack. She screamed too, putting everything she had into this. She felt bone and sinew give way as they finally managed to cut through the monster. Thirteen landed awkwardly, relieved it was over.

It just laughed again, and her heart sank. It picked her up and slammed her against the wall. Soul clattered to the ground. Breathing was hard, she felt the strength leaving her limbs. But she had made it this far, Thirteen refused to die now. Distracted by the amount of blood in the room, the beast didn't even notice her slither to the ground. Thirteen picked Soul up, and poured her soul wavelength and magic into him. **“ _Hell-fire.”_ ** she whispered, and sprang at the beast, lobbing off its head in one fell stroke.

 

** ↭↭↭↭ **

Why the hell wasn't she listening to him? It was as if she couldn't hear him, which he knew was next to impossible because Thirteen had the super hearing of a cat. Soul watched with growing alarm as the Minotaur got ready to attack again and tried to reach her, but she was lost in her own world. The thing laughed again.

_**“Got’cha.”**_ it giggled. What could he do? If he changed out of weapon form, he could get hit, and then Thirteen would be left alone to face it. But if he stayed, she was going to get hit. Maybe she would listen to him now.

_**“Thirteen! THIRTEEN! Goddammit. Answer me! THIRTEEN!”**_ he called out to her frantically, even varying their soul resonance in an attempt to snap her out of whatever stupor she was in.

It didn't work. He saw her get hit, heard the sound of rending flesh, the wet sound of blood hitting the floor.

And he was falling down,

down

down.

 

 

She was still breathing, still alive. He had felt her move in that last second, but it had been too late to avoid the attack. The nails had struck her in the chest, off center. That thing was licking its fingers, oblivious to everything except the blood.

His meisters blood. Anger, fast and hot, consumed him. Anger at himself, anger at Thirteen, and at the Minotaur, anger at everything that had happened that had gotten them here. Just when he was about to change back, he heard her think,

_**“Its now or never.”**_ and pick him up of the ground. She stumbled, but eventually found her balance. There was a painful intake of breath. He could feel something building, it charged the air.

_**“Just give up little girl, it’s dinnertime, and you’re dead.”** _

He felt that still unfamiliar feeling of electrified water coursing through him. It was way more intense than anything else they had tried before. Soul had thought it ironic that a meister who specialized in water techniques had a weapon notorious for burning people. He had the feeling that he had been a little off about what Thirteen was really capable of. Glancing at her, he noticed there was an odd glow to her face, and inner light that seemed to shine out from somewhere deep inside.

_**“With the earth I ground.”** _ Roots appeared out of nowhere, trapping the thing in place. Soul was just as surprised that the Minotaur, only his surprise turned to excitement and not anger. There was an unearthly air to the roots, almost as if they weren't really there, or as if they weren't completely real.

**_“What the…?”_** The dumb thing kept looking around, not even trying to free itself.

_**“With the air I bind.”**_ He felt the stagnant air in the room stir, and soon it had encased the beast in, for lack of a better term, ropes of wind. It glared at them with hate filled eyes.

_**“With water I cleanse.”**_ he a little disappointed that there was no accompanying hurricane.

_**“And with fire I purify.** **”** _

_**“I cleanse this soul with the inferno.”** _ he muttered, unsure as to why he said it, but he did it anyway because it felt right. She sprang at the Minotaur, he felt himself slice through the matted pelt of the beast, and not much else. It picked her up  and smashed her against the wall, and he fell again, the sounds of noisily licking filling the room. She landed awkwardly next to him and curled her fingers around him again. She poured her soul wavelength into him, and he reciprocated, trying to give her as much power as possible,

_**“Hell-fire.”** _ she whispered, and lobbed the head off the beast.

It was finally over.

Or so he thought, because then he heard the shuffling.

**“You have got to be kidding me. This is so not cool.”**


	17. In The Aftermath-Will They Make It Out Of The Abyss?

Breathing hard, her head came up slowly to face whatever else was coming. Of course it couldn't be that easy. They were Kishin eggs, all of them. These must be what was left of the people that had disappeared. What had that thing, or what had the witch done to them to turn them into Kishin eggs. Spots clouded her vision.

_**“Must be from the blood loss,”**_ she observed dispassionately

_**“Thirteen. Is there any way out of here?”** _

_**“No way except forward.”**_ she answered, shifting into a defensive position. Her hands were shaking, and she was so cold. There was a comforting blast of heat that knocked her off her feet, standing over her was Soul.

Flashbacks from that day with the Kishin had her struggling to stand. She was not going to lose another weapon, especially not one who had become a friend.

_**“Soul. Get back into weapon form. It’s not….safe for you.”**_ she panted out. Soul didn't move, neither did the Kishin eggs.

_**“Soul dammit, will you listen to me? Change back will you! You’re so stubborn you know that? I swear when this is all over I’m going to drag you through all of that crap outside.”** _ Anger fueled by fear had her babbling, making her say things she normally would have kept to herself. He had the nerve to laugh a little. _**“Are you laughing at me?!”**_ she raised her voice incredulously, which sent her into a coughing fit, blood splattering everywhere.

_**“Thirteen. Just let me take care of this.”**_ Despite the teasing note in his voice, his tone was serious. The Minotaur’s soul was watching them hungrily.

 

** ↭↭↭↭ **

 

She was in no condition to fight off whatever the hell had filed into the room. Quite honestly, he couldn't see much, but he managed to piece together a skinny thing with a large white sheet draped over it, held in place by a frightening black mask. He knocked her over when he changed, and he would've helped her back up, but he couldn't afford to be distracted, not even for a second. Soul didn't trust these things, they were too still. Their presence was oppressive. It was as if they were closing in on them. He stood over her, smiling. He’d never seen her get so irritated before, it was entertaining. He’d have to find a way to rile her up like this again, at a time when their lives weren't in danger. _**“Thirteen. Just let me take care of this.”**_ There was a faint glow, and his arm changed into a blade. He heard Thirteen shuffling backwards, out of the corner of his eye he saw her, back pressed up against a stone block, staff in her hands, concentrating.

If he wasn't going to listen to her, she may as well try and help him the best she could. It was a slow, painful process back to the wall, but she managed it. Using her staff, she propped herself up and went to work charging up her soul wavelength. Amazingly, through it all, she and Soul were still resonating. The things hadn't moved at all. And then a small stone fell from the ceiling, and all hell broke loose.

Why they hadn't attacked while Thirteen was moving was a mystery to him. But as soon as that little damn stone fell, they frenzied. Masks were torn off to reveal faceless things with rows of giant black teeth. Their saliva, rope thick and pungent, gave off a faint greenish glow. He had the feeling that is that stuff got into a cut, he wouldn't make it. Soul had gotten pretty good at fighting with his scythe arm, he was not Justin Law, but he could hold his own and get the job done. The things didn't have a planned attack, they just came at him and tried to eat him.

Which made chopping their head off a fairly simple process.

Thirteen stayed behind him, thankfully, or he would have had to fend her off as well. Random monsters were blasted back, giving him all the time he needed to make they were truly dead. The blasts became less and less frequent the longer the fight went on. Surrounded by glowing Kishin eggs, certain they were all dead, he phased his arm back and ran to his meister.

_**“Shit Thirteen. Can you hear me?”**_ She nodded weakly and inhaled painfully as he helped her sit up. Gotta stop the bleeding was his only thought. Soul ripped off her cloak and tore it into strips, binding the hole in her chest the best he could. She didn't move, which wasn't a good sign. Now he was faced with a dilemma. What was he supposed to do with all of these souls? He couldn't leave them here, it went against school rules, but Thirteen needed help.

She solved that problem for his. Her staff absorbed all of the souls, and she gave him a weak smile. Ignoring her weak protests, he picked her up and, with careful maneuvering, was able to get her onto his back. Soul began the long walk back, hoping desperately that she would  make it.

She was losing blood, and fast, this wasn't good. Soul was up against all of these things alone, and he refused to listen to her. She was going to have to help him the best way she could. Thirteen kept the worst of the throng away from him as he cut their heads off. Shooting her soul wavelength through her staff was a tiring technique, and in her weakened state, it took it’s toll. She tried not to move as Soul bandaged her up, knowing that it would just make it harder for him. The pain was fading away into cold numbness, she knew it was bad, but didn't know how to stop it.

 

** ↭↭↭↭ **

 

Fuck, fuck, fuckity fucking fuck.

She was so pale. He was trying to keep her conscious, but she kept fading in and out of it.

She was so cold. He felt the wetness of her blood soaking through his shirt, and sped up a little. Moving too fast would do more harm than good, but time was of the essence. The guilt threatened to eat him alive. Weapon’s were supposed to protect their meisters, now he was on the brink of losing a second one. If only he could have been faster, if only he was stronger, maybe he could’ve saved her from this. Twenty new souls he had, thanks to her, and his was he had repaid her, by letting her get hurt. If only he could have reached her today, she wouldn't be dying right fucking now.

Dammit, why did it feel like he was moving so slow? He was pushing a hundred on his bike.

Fucking A.

Their souls were still resonating. He felt his chest constrict as she stopped breathing. His heart plummeted.

But then she started again, shallow, uneven, and broken breaths. But breaths nonetheless. Finally arriving to the academy, he was thankful that classes were over for the day. Running up the steps, and almost breaking the door down, he sprinted to the infirmary and pounded on the door. Professor Stein’s usually bored face changed to one of worry when he saw them.

_**“Save her.”** _ was all Soul said before laying her gently on the nearest open cot. Stein cut away Soul’s clumsy attempts to stop the bleeding. They fell wetly to the ground. In the harsh light of the infirmary, her wounds looked even worse. Three gaping holes pumped blood sluggishly out of the side of her chest. They went straight through,  he could see the white of her ribs. Soul ran a hand through his hair and began to pace as Stein prepped for whatever the hell he was going to do. Blood bag hung, he called Soul over.

_**“Get a grip Soul. I’m going to need your help. Naigus is on a mission with Sid. Get me the white kit in the cabinet.”**_ OK. White kit, white kit. Opening the cabinet door, he was greeted by about five white kits. On was clearly marked “surgery”  so he took it, hoping it was the right one.

He saw that his hands were shaking.

Stein cut away the rest of her shirt and covered her with a sheet, but leaving the holes exposed. Extending a gloved hand, he said,

_**“Scalpel.”** _

What the hell was a…

_**“It’s the knife looking thing.”**_ he repeated.

Soul handed it to him. He was on the other side of Stein, so he couldn't see what was actually happening. After what felt like an eternity, his head was swimming with new medical information and impatience. Stein finally called for the suturing kit, which the weapon remembered was the thing for stitches. Stein ordered him to wait outside, which Soul though was kind of pointless, but he knew that fighting wouldn't get him anywhere. Soul paced, and paced, and paced. He had walked over the same spot so many times he was sure he had worn a hole in the ground. By the time Stein walked out of the room, he was ready to explode. He gazed at is Professor, worry etched on his face.

_**“She’s going to be fine. Lost a lot of blood, but thankfully, nothing major was hit. She is still unconscious, but you can go in and see her.”** _ He was about to open the door when Stein grabbed his shoulder and spoke again,

_**“Soul. What on earth happened?** **She’s a two-star meister, most wouldn't allow themselves to get wounded like that. It looks like she didn't even try to block whatever hit her.”** _

_**“She didn't try to block it. She froze up on me, and I couldn't reach her. It’s like she was trapped him he own little world.”** _

Stein didn't respond, just stood there in contemplative silence. Soul wasn't quite done.

_**“Why the hell were we on that mission Professor? That thing… that thing was something you should’ve handled, not a new two-star meister.”** _

He pushed the door open and disappeared inside. Stein let him go, and stuck a cigarette into his mouth, resisting the urge to light it.

Soul just stood in the corner, unsure of what else he could do. Thirteen stirred, cognizant of his presence, and squeezed his hand before passing out again.


End file.
